Specter Nominated to Judiciary Chair, Conservatives Expect Him to Keep Promises
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans nominated Sen. Arlen Specter on Thursday to be the panel’s new chairman despite the protestation of pro-life groups
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans nominated Sen. Arlen Specter on Thursday to be the panel’s new chairman despite the protestation of pro-life groups who interpreted Specter’s post-election remarks as warnings to President Bush that pro-life judicial nominees would not get Senate approval.
On the same day, Dr. Gary Cass, executive director of the Center for Reclaiming America, had delivered 66,443 petitions to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s Chief of Staff and each Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urging them to block Specter’s nomination.
While the support of the Republican panel members means Specter will likely assume the Judiciary post, his ascension to chairmanship will not be confirmed until the new Committee members vote on January 4, 2005. Whatever decision they make can always be appealed to the full 55-member Republican caucus of the 109th Congress.
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“We are unanimously in favor of Arlen Specter and will vote that way,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) during a news conference on Thursday. Hatch is stepping down due the Senate’s six-year term limit.
The issue is important since there will likely be three vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court bench in Bush’s second term. The Committee chairman has key role in ensuring presidential judicial nominees are approved by the panel and receive a floor vote.
Specter read from a prepared statement, promising to “avoid future filibusters and judicial gridlock,” and give the President’s “nominees quick committee hearings and early committee votes” without applying a “litmus test.”
“I have no reason to believe that I'll be unable to support any individual President Bush finds worthy,” said Specter.
Although Pro-family and pro-life leaders were disappointed with Specter’s nomination as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, they say they expect him to fulfill his promises.
“Senator Specter will be held to his word,” Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family said in an Associated Press article. “He has been forced to undergo public and party scrutiny and has pledged to be an advocate for the president’s nominees.”
We “hope the Senator will be true to his promise that he made to me and other pro-family leaders to support the President's judicial nominees, work to avoid future filibusters and to allow legislative initiatives protecting traditional marriage,” echoed Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
“The question of abortion will certainly be raised during confirmation hearings of federal judges and we expect Senator Specter to respect the will of the American people, the will of most of his Republican colleagues and the judicial philosophy of President Bush,” Perkins added. “This is an issue that will not subside and the integrity of Senator Specter's word will be tested through his leadership on the Judiciary Committee."
Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel of Concerned Women for America, said Specter said nothing new during his speech and suggested that Specter’s assurance to “support any individual President Bush finds worthy” is so ambiguous, “you could drive a truck through that loophole.”
She noted that amidst his guarantees, he “refused to support the so-called ‘nuclear option’ to end filibustering of judges preferring instead to try other means.”
Crass is not only expecting Specter to keep his word but said his group will “hold the leadership of the Republican Party accountable for their siding with Specter,” reported Center for Reclaiming for America.
“We will wait and see, judging them by their actions,” he said. "Specter knows that if he betrays the 'values voters,' the whole Republican Party will suffer."
