The Unconfirmed

YES, there are a lot of important issues at stake in the fight between Senate Republicans and Democrats over the president’s judicial nominees. But sometimes it’s just personal. Take the case of Lawrence Block, a veteran Republican aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last August, President Bush nominated Block to a place on the federal Court of Claims. Under the unwritten system of senatorial courtesy, Block, who is a favorite of the committee’s ranking Republican, Utah senator Orrin Hatch, would receive a swift confirmation with no controversy. After all, what kind of earthshaking matters would he decide on the Court of Claims?

But that’s not what has happened. Not only has Block not been confirmed quickly, he is still, more than eight months after his nomination, awaiting any action at all from the committee chairman, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy. It’s a situation that has left Hatch quietly—and sometimes not so quietly— seething. “I take it as a direct slap,” he said recently, with obvious indignation. Away from the microphones, Hatch has said he expected Leahy to “shove it to me” when Democrats took over the Judiciary Committee last year, but this is going too far.

About the Author

Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

Featured Tags

YES, there are a lot of important issues at stake in the fight between Senate Republicans and Democrats over the president’s judicial nominees. But sometimes it’s just personal. Take the case of Lawrence Block, a veteran Republican aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last August, President Bush nominated Block to a place on the federal Court of Claims. Under the unwritten system of senatorial courtesy, Block, who is a favorite of the committee’s ranking Republican, Utah senator Orrin Hatch, would receive a swift confirmation with no controversy. After all, what kind of earthshaking matters would he decide on the Court of Claims?

But that’s not what has happened. Not only has Block not been confirmed quickly, he is still, more than eight months after his nomination, awaiting any action at all from the committee chairman, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy. It’s a situation that has left Hatch quietly—and sometimes not so quietly— seething. “I take it as a direct slap,” he said recently, with obvious indignation. Away from the microphones, Hatch has said he expected Leahy to “shove it to me” when Democrats took over the Judiciary Committee last year, but this is going too far.