In my new Confirmation Tales post, I begin taking a look at the battle over lower-court nominations in George W. Bush’s second term. That battle was closely linked to the anticipated fight over a Supreme Court nomination. From my opening:

As George W. Bush began his second term as president in January 2005, Senate majority leader Bill Frist had one big challenge ahead of him: He had to find a way to defeat Democratic senators’ filibustering of judicial nominees. That challenge was now urgent, as Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s dire health signaled that a Supreme Court vacancy could arise very suddenly.

If you want to understand the rhetorical clash between the “nuclear option” and the “constitutional option” for abolishing the filibuster, this post is for you.

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