By The Prowler on 5.11.06 @ 10:02AM
The neo-borking of qualified judicial nominees continues -- will Republicans resist?
At least five of the 15 members American Bar Association
qualifications review panel who evaluated the legal background of
Mississppi's Michael Wallace, a former legal aide
to Sen. Trent Lott, were charter members of the
American Constitution Society, the liberal knock-off of the
Federalist Society.
The panel has garnered attention in the past 36 hours after
rating Wallace, nominated to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, as
"unqualified."
"This is a guy who is extremely bright and talented as a legal
mind," says a former classmate of Wallace's at the University of
Virginia Law School. "He clerked for a Supreme Court justice
[Rehnquist]. He's served our nation in positions of responsibility
and performed well [Wallace was appointed to head the Legal
Services Corp. by President Reagan]. This is not a case of the
President nominating some ambulance chaser. This is a highly
qualified individual."
The only blotch on his record -- if you're a Democrat -- is his
service to Senator Lott as special counsel during the impeachment
of President Bill Clinton.
According to a Republican member of the ABA, the Wallace review
is now the big buzz in ABA circles. "You talk to a lot of the Dems,
and they say that this was coming, particularly after the Alito and
Roberts nominations. Wallace is to them a test case. Can their
reviews -- which this White House has never taken seriously --
influence Senate Democrats to fight? This is purely a power play by
liberal Dems in the ABA trying to empower [Sen.
Patrick] Leahy."
The question now: Will the ABA's move empower and energize
Republicans both within the "Gang of 14" as well as on the campaign
trail.
topics:
Bill Clinton, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, NATO
