The Obama administration's most contentious judicial nomination yet faces a key test vote in the Senate on Thursday, with Republicans poised to block the nomination of Goodwin Liu on grounds he is a liberal activist who would play fast and loose with the Constitution from the bench.
Facing a political gridlock that has doomed immigration legislation for years, President Obama, making his first visit to the border since taking office, turned to activists and immigrant-rights supporters across the country Tuesday and said it's now up to them to force Congress to act.
Senate Republicans blocked a nomination by President Obama for the first time this year on Monday, when they successfully filibustered the confirmation of the White House's pick for the No. 2 official at the Justice Department.
President Obama is in El Paso today to give a speech on what he calls "the broken immigration system." He'd know because he's the one helping break it.
With a key test vote in the Senate on Monday, Democrats are playing the national security card in their push to get the No. 2 man at the Justice Department confirmed.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday called a new plan by the Department of Homeland Security to develop a "border security index" to measure enforcement progress along the Southwest border "nothing short of inflated facts and figures to give them an excuse to say the border is secure."
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. expressed serious concern Wednesday about Americans' safety from possible revenge attacks for Osama bin Laden's death and expects the terrorist watch list to be expanded, based on evidence collected in the al Qaeda leader's compound.
A year after suing Arizona over its tough immigration law, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told Congress on Tuesday that his department is prepared to sue Utah for going the other way and creating its own guest-worker program - though he is giving the state some time to change its law.
President Obama's perfect run of judicial nominees sailing through the Senate for confirmation in 2011 is facing its first challenge this week.
