MARGASAK: Democrats have short memory on judge nominees

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By Larry Margasak ASSOCIATED PRESS

OPINION/ANALYSIS:

Ten months into Barack Obama's presidency, Democrats are accusing Republicans of creating "a dark mark on the Senate" by delaying confirmation of his federal court nominees.

The mark might not be as dark as Democrats make it seem.

Of the 27 judicial nominations Mr. Obama has made so far, all five brought up for votes in the Senate have won relatively quick confirmations, including new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

So what is this "dark mark" that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, talks about?

It's primarily two federal judges - one from Indiana, the other Maryland - who've been waiting five months for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, to bring their nominations for appeals court promotions to the Senate floor.

Republicans contend that the nominees are activist judges, and Mr. Reid hasn't forced the issue - although he said Wednesday that he might do so by Veterans Day for at least one of the nominees.

One other nominee has been waiting since Sept. 10. But seven others have been waiting from only one to five weeks. That's not a long time for the Senate, which prides itself as a deliberative body, and Republicans say they're ready to vote on most of them.

Democrats have a record of their own that is far from being a bright light. Just three years ago, they were blocking votes on some of President George W. Bush's more conservative judicial nominees.

Several of Mr. Bush's nominees waited for years - two years for eventual Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. when he was nominated for an appellate court post.