Senate invokes cloture on Brown judicial nomination News
Senate invokes cloture on Brown judicial nomination

[JURIST] The US Senate voted 65-32 [Senate roll call] Tuesday to limit debate on the nomination of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown [court profile] to the federal appeals bench, against some opposition from Democrats, some of whom have been blocking her appointment for two years. After a recent bipartisan truce [JURIST report; NRO text] helped the Senate avoid a showdown over judicial nominees, Democrats agreed to pass through Bush's nominations unless there are "extraordinary circumstances" involved. Senator Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that Brown's nomination may be too beneficial to business interests [press release]. Other nominees included in last month's compromise are former Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen [court profile], confirmed by the Senate in May [JURIST report] and just sworn in as a US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge Monday [AP report], and former Alabama Attorney General William H. Pryor Jr., [official profile] who is still awaiting confirmation. Bloomberg has more.