Butler faces pointed queries at confirmation hearing

[usregimechange]

Washington — Judge Louis Butler was ready with a quip at his judicial confirmation hearing Wednesday when a Republican senator asked him about losing two elections for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

"After 16 years on the bench, I may be a better judge than politician," said Butler, who is being considered for a slot on the federal bench.

If confirmed by the Senate, Butler would replace U.S. District Judge John Shabaz in Wisconsin's Western District. But the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee suggested that Butler's nomination may not go as smoothly as Democrats would like.

"A judge has to be committed to objectivity and the rule of law. Some of his speeches and cases, on the surface, show pretty significant activist tendencies," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

Democrats on the panel were quick to offer Butler praise, saying President Barack Obama made a wise choice in the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Butler lost his seat on the state's highest court after a hotly contested election that also became the most expensive judicial race in Wisconsin history.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/69252792.html


Previous posts about his nomination:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6676685