Changes Under Secretary Chertoff
On January 11, 2005, President Bush nominated federal judge to succeed Ridge. Chertoff was confirmed on February 15, 2005, by a vote of 980 in the and was sworn in the same day.
In February 2005, DHS and the issued rules relating to employee pay and discipline for a new personnel system named MaxHR. said that the rules would allow DHS “to override any provision in a union contract by issuing a department-wide directive” and would make it “difficult, if not impossible, for unions to negotiate over arrangements for staffing, deployments, technology and other workplace matters”. In August 2005, U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer blocked the plan on the grounds that it did not ensure collective-bargaining rights for DHS employees. A federal appeals court ruled against DHS in 2006 pending a final resolution to the litigation, Congress’s fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for DHS provided no funding for the proposed new personnel system.DHS announced in early 2007 that it was retooling its pay and performance system and retiring the name “MaxHR”. In a February 2008 court filing, DHS said that it would no longer pursue the new rules, and that it would abide by the existing civil service labor-management procedures. A federal court issued an order closing the case.
Senate Judiciary Committee Tied On Advancing Supreme Court Nominee Jackson
As expected, the Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines in voting to advance Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court to the full Senate for consideration.
After hearings and deliberation among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the next step in the process was for the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote. The Committee, which is comprised of 22 members, an equal number from each party, could have voted to recommend confirmation, to reject the candidate, or to make no recommendation.
On April 4, 2022, the Judiciary Committee voted 11-11, with all Democratic members recommending confirmation and all Republican members opposing. The full Senate then voted 53-47 to discharge the nomination from committee and place it on the Senate calendar for a final vote.
All Democratic Senators and three Republican Senators voted to advance Judge Jacksons nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. The three Republicans who announced their intent to vote in favor of Judge Jacksons confirmation are Senators Susan Collins , Lisa Murkowski , and Mitt Romney . All three Senators cited Judge Jacksons qualifications, independence, demeanor, temperament, and perspective as reasons for their favorable vote.
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Schumer Moves To Discharge Judge Jackson’s Nomination Setting Up First Procedural Vote Tonight
From CNN’s Manu Raju, Kristin Wilson and Ted Barrett
On the Senate the floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a formal move to discharge the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson from the Senate Judiciary Committee after it deadlocked in a 11-11 vote.
There are up to four hours of debate but the vote is expected between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET.
51 votes are needed for the motion to succeed.
After she is discharged, Schumer will move to break a GOP filibuster of Jackson leading to a final vote confirmation vote either Thursday or Friday.
Schumer reiterated on the floor Monday that the Senate will confirm Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court by the end of the week and will take a series of procedural votes in the coming days to set up that final vote.
I hope both sides can work together to advance her all but certain confirmation through the Senate without delay, Schumer said.
Schumer called Jackson highly qualified and said its not easy being thrown suddenly and abruptly into the national spotlight and complained Republican objections are entirely unserious.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee
A brief rant.
Weve been holding this in all week, so lets out with it: This committee drives us up the wall. No other in Congress has a bigger gap between its practical function and the self-importance of its members. The Senate Judiciary Committee is primarily a nominations mill. It processes judicial appointees from the president. Congrats. And yet it is comprised of THE most bloviating members of the Senate, who think their every word about the Federalist Papers is a masterstroke of philosophical insight. Oh look at me, Mr. Genius Harvard Senator, let me wax at length about Article III and the founders intentcan it! Youre voting for or against a judge based on who the president is! Talking about the founders. Good grief. These senators think this is some big-shot committee? A short walk away in the Appropriations Committee, theyre splitting up the money, and no ones babbling about James Madison.
Simone Biles And Other Olympians To Testify Before Senate Judiciary Committee
Lauren Gambino
Olympian Simone Biles will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in an oversight hearing into the FBIs dereliction of duty in its failure to properly investigate the sexual abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar.
Biles will be joined on the panel by McKayla Maroney,Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman. FBI director Christopher Wray and Department of Justice Inspector GeneralMichael Horowitzwill also testify.
Senate Judiciary Committee
BREAKING: Olympic and world champion gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman to testify at Wednesdays Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the FBIs dereliction of duty in the Nassar case.DOJ IG Horowitz and FBI Dir. Wray to also testify.
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Confirmation Hearings For Supreme Court Nominees
- See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2017: An overview
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Neil Gorsuch‘s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court from March 20-23, 2017. Gorsuch was President Donald Trump’s first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gorsuch was nominated on January 31, 2017, to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13, 2016.
A confirmation hearing for Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump‘s nominee for United States Attorney General was held on January 10, 2017.
Senate Committee On The Judiciary
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary provides oversight of the Department of Justice and the agencies under the Departments jurisdiction, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security. It also plays an important role in the consideration of nominations and pending legislation. Any legislation related to civil liberty, constitutional amendments, immigration and naturalization, and a variety of other topics is referred to the Committee.
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Supreme Court And Judicial Nominees
First and foremost, Senate Judiciary is responsible for investigating the backgrounds of the presidents judicial nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Before judicial nominees go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote, their careers, writings, political leanings, and any past missteps are reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Nominees fill out an exhaustive questionnaire of career milestones and past cases that makes any job application youve ever filled out look like a breeze. Nominees for the Supreme Court and any executive-level position , as well as judicial nominees for high-profile circuit and district courts, must testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in confirmation hearings.
Its no surprise that Democratic presidents pick liberal judges, and Republican presidents pick conservative judges. When the Senate majority and the president are in opposing parties, this can get ugly. Senate Republicans blocked former President Barack Obamas judicial nominees, as well as Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland when they took control in 2015. Trumpwho will inherit twice the number of judicial nominees as Obamahas the power to completely reshape the federal judiciary over the next four years, especially if Republicans keep control of the Senate.
Senate Democrats have already grilled Trump nominees on their opposition to Roe v. Wade, their religious beliefs, and their alliance with far-right groups in Washington.
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Legislation And Approves The Nomination Of New Victim Advocate
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Lisa Baker , met today to consider the nomination of Suzanne V. Estrella, Esq., as Pennsylvanias Victim Advocate. In addition, the committee considered three pieces of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of children and crime victims, and safeguarding the Commonwealth from ransomware attacks.
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National Terrorism Advisory System
In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security phased out the old Homeland Security Advisory System, replacing it with a two-level National Terrorism Advisory System. The system has two types of advisories: alerts and bulletins. NTAS bulletins permit the secretary to communicate critical terrorism information that, while not necessarily indicative of a specific threat against the United States, can reach homeland security partners or the public quickly, thereby allowing recipients to implement necessary protective measures. Alerts are issued when there is specific and credible information of a terrorist threat against the United States. Alerts have two levels: elevated and imminent. An elevated alert is issued when there is credible information about an attack but only general information about timing or a target. An Imminent Alert is issued when the threat is very specific and impending in the very near term.
In January 2003, the office was merged into the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Homeland Security Council, both of which were created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Homeland Security Council, similar in nature to the National Security Council, retains a policy coordination and advisory role and is led by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security.
– DHS June 6, 2003
Privacy And Internet Freedoms
The Senate Judiciary Committee plays a major role in U.S. oversight of the internet. The panel has crafted laws on what liberties internet service providers and third parties can take with your personal data online. The panel also handles rules for how the government can examine your online content.
The Senate Judiciary is also in charge of reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which allows for the collection of internet data of foreign citizens. Section 702, the controversial provision that allows the U.S. government to collect data on people outside the country for intelligence purposes, is set to expire at the end of 2017.
Many Republicans and Democrats on the panel claim to be pro-privacy, but there are plenty of exceptionsespecially when government surveillance is involved.
Grassley has tried to push legislation that allows the government to access any documents you have stored on the cloud without a warrant. Feinstein has backed bills that would allow the courts to order companies to of suspects in criminal investigations. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, Cruz tried to keep U.S. control over ICANN, the group that issues top-level domains like .com and .org.
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Two More Republicans Back Jackson As Senate Moves Toward Confirmation
The support of Senators Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski for Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons nomination was a counterpoint to the bitterly partisan confirmation process so far.
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By Carl Hulse
WASHINGTON A nearly unified wall of G.O.P. opposition to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson cracked slightly on Monday as two more Senate Republicans said they would side with Democrats in supporting her, paving the way for her confirmation as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined a third Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, in lending their support to Judge Jackson, defying deep resistance in their party to the nominee. The G.O.P. opposition was underscored anew on Monday when all 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee voted against the nomination.
That prompted Democrats to use an unusual procedure to force the nomination out of the deadlocked panel with a vote of the full Senate, which agreed to the move by a vote of 53 to 47.
In a statement announcing her support for Judge Jackson, Ms. Murkowski, who is not on the committee, said she was backing the nominee in part to reject the corrosive politicization of the review process for Supreme Court nominees, which, on both sides of the aisle, is growing worse and more detached from reality by the year.
The Top Reasons Republicans Are Citing For Not Supporting Jackson’s Confirmation
From CNN’s Tierney Sneed
GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been citing similar reasons Monday for voting against Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons Supreme Court confirmation.
Republicans on the panel are expected to be united in their opposition of the nominee when they vote later Monday.
Here’s a look at some of the points Republicans have been raising in their remarks:
Lack of judicial philosophy: Jacksons refusal to align herself with any specific judicial philosophy like the originalist or textualism has been cited by several Republicans.
We don’t expect a nominee to say that they will agree with a specific justice 100% of the time, but it’s not asking too much that a nominee be able to explain the justices approach to the law and where they might differ, Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said.
Democrats have countered that some GOP appointees for the high court, like Chief Justice John Roberts, also did not identify themselves as following a particular judicial philosophy.
Democrats pushed back on those complaints by arguing that Republicans have supported GOP appointed judges who exhibited similar sentencing tendencies towards those types of defendants. They also touted the endorsements Jackson has received from a variety of law enforcement and victims rights groups.
“The Make the Road case demonstrated her willingness to put left wing policy above the law, Cruz said, referring the the immigration case.
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Gop Sen Lisa Murkowski To Vote For Jackson
From CNN’s Dan Berman
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced she will support Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court this week.
Murkowski’s decision has been eagerly anticipated as she’s up for re-election this year and is already facing heavy political pressure having voted against former President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial last year.
But the senator said she’s confident in Jackson’s ability and qualifications:
My support rests on Judge Jacksons qualifications, which no one questions her demonstrated judicial independence her demeanor and temperament and the important perspective she would bring to the court as a replacement for Justice Breyer.
Who Us Fight Senate Gop Vows Respectful Supreme Court Hearings
Unlike in confirmation battles past, Republicans don’t quite have a theme for their examination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons record. Except being nicer than Democrats.
Even if Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s hearings do remain respectful, the vast majority of Republicans are expected to oppose her nomination as the high court’s first Black woman justice. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
03/14/2022 04:31 AM EDT
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Senate Republicans arent coalescing around a single approach to Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons nomination to the Supreme Court yet except that theyll keep it classy.
The best message I can give you at this point, but I think youve heard me say it before: Its going to be a fair, thorough hearing, and were not going to get in the gutter like the Democrats did, said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.
Thats a subtle but unmistakable reference to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who faced sexual assault allegations that he vocally denied during his 2018 confirmation to the high court. But Democrats had a plan before those accusations surfaced painting the nominee as too opaque in his work disclosures for a Republican White House and too prone to making political judgments from the bench that would align with then-President Donald Trump.
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson meets with Sen. John Cornyn in his office.|Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Senate Moves To Full Vote On Jackson’s Nomination As Two More Republicans Announce Support
Washington The Senate on Monday voted to bring Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s Supreme Court nomination to the floor for a final vote, clearing a procedural hurdle after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked earlier in the day on advancing her nomination.
Jackson, a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington, will likely be narrowly confirmed by the full Senate by the end of the week. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced last week she will support Jackson’s nomination, and Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska followed suit on Monday, saying they would support Jackson.
The support from the three GOP senators ensures Jackson will become the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.
“After reviewing Judge Jackson’s record and testimony, I have concluded that she is a well-qualified jurist and a person of honor,” Romney said. “While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity.”
The motion to discharge Jackson’s nomination out of committee passed by a vote of 53 to 47 in the full Senate, after the Judiciary Committee split along party lines. Three Republicans, Collins, Murkowski and Romney, joined with Democrats on the motion.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the only current member of the Supreme Court to have served on a U.S. district court.
