Judge David Hamilton, President Barack Obama's first nominee to the federal bench, was finally approved Tuesday by the full Senate.
Judge David Hamilton, a U.S. district court judge, was President Barack Obama's first nominee to the federal bench, nominated way back on March 17 to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
But as NPR's Nina Totenberg reported on Morning Edition Tuesday his nomination languished in the Senate because of Republican opposition — until Tuesday. One of the pieces of Hamilton's biography that scandalized some Republican senators: 30 years ago as a new college graduate he canvassed for the community group ACORN for one month.
The Senate broke a Republican filibuster with a 70 to 29 vote, finally ending Hamilton's time in nomination limbo.
As NPR's David Welna reported:
WELNA: Judge Hamilton's nomination for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was approved by the Judiciary Committee five months ago. But that panel's top Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, held up his consideration by the full Senate; he accused Hamilton of pushing a political agenda:
SESSIONS: I believe that that disqualifies him for elevation to the court of appeals and this is one of those extraordinary circumstances where I think the president should be informed of that fact by a vote of this Senate.
WELNA: But Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh called Hamilton superbly qualified:
SESSIONS: if this nomination constitutes extraordinary circumstances, then that phrase has ceased to have any meaning whatsoever. I sincerely hope that all involved will give judge Hamilton an up or down vote that he so clearly deserves.
Ten Republicans joined every Democrat to break the filibuster.
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