Obama urged to think bipartisan on judges

Senate Republicans penned a letter to President Obama on Monday urging him to eschew the “needlessly acrimonious” judicial nomination process and embrace bipartisanship as he fills the bench.

Noting that President George W. Bush elevated Judge Barrington Parker — who had previously been appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Bill Clinton — to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and citing the appointment of Judge Roger Gregory, another earlier Clinton appointee, to the Fourth Circuit, all 41 senators called on Obama to act similarly.

{mosads}”Because the last Congress sadly set the modern record for the fewest circuit court confirmations in a Presidents [sic] final Congress, there are plenty of well-qualified nominees with bipartisan support from whom to choose,” said the letter.

Obama was also urged to recognize the “shared constitutional responsibility” of judicial appointments and consult with the Senate on nominations.

“Regretfully, if we are not consulted on, and approve of, a nominee from our states, the Republican Conference will be unable to support moving forward on that nominee,” the letter stated. “Despite press reports that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee now may be considering changing the Committee’s practice of observing senatorial courtesy, we, as a Conference, expect it to be observed, even-handedly and regardless of party affiliation. And we will act to preserve this principle and the rights of our colleagues if it is not.”

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) urged Obama in a different letter last month to renominate three Bush nominees — judges Peter Keisler, Glen Conrad and Paul Diamond — whose appointments stalled in the Senate. In Monday’s letter, the Senate Republicans noted the nominees’ bipartisan support and offered the three judges as examples of how Obama could “change the tone in Washington.”