Roll Call reports that "Bush has nominated Thomas Hardiman to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Peter Keisler to replace Chief Justice John Roberts on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Debra Ann Livingston to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and Norman Randy Smith to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

"Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary Committee and one of Bush's staunchest allies in the annual judicial nomination wars, praised the new nominees as being cut from the same conservative cloth as Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. 'These highly qualified nominees deserved an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor, but obstruction prevented it,' Cornyn said, adding that he hopes 'that in the new Congress a better sense of fairness will prevail and all nominees will at least be given an up-or-down vote, rather than more obstruction.'

# posted by Curt Despain @ 1:42 PM