Judicial nominations pile up and parties blame each other (Sessions: judges have "ACLU chromosome")

[usregimechange]

WASHINGTON -- Hiring a federal judge requires an act of Congress, but Congress hasn't been in much of a hiring mode lately.

Consider the case of Edward Chen of San Francisco.

After President Barack Obama appointed the first Latina to the U.S. Supreme Court, he wanted to make history in California, nominating Chen to become the first Asian-American federal judge in the state's Northern District.

Asian-Americans applauded, and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein boasted of his record, "I do not believe there is a spot, a blemish, a wart on his record as a magistrate."

But Senate Republicans saw one big problem: For 16 years, Chen had been a zealous advocate, working as a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. And another of the president's nominees, Dolly Gee of Los Angeles, had once been a member of the group.

"I think we're seeing a common DNA run through the Obama nominees, and that's the ACLU chromosome," said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top-ranked Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who voted against Chen.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/257/story/78044.html

[ananda]

1. ACLU advocacy should be a requirement!

Boy those Reeps are such serious assholes.

[imdjh]

2. We should be steamrolling the Republicans. That's what they would do.