The activists who closely follow federal judicial nominations have for months pondered a big question: Could the Republicans’ increased numbers in the U.S. Senate succeed in blocking some of President Barack Obama’s nominees?
They got the beginning of an answer this month. Democrats were able to cut off a threatened filibuster of John "Jack" McConnell Jr., a Rhode Island trial lawyer whose nomination for federal district court drew howls from business-backed interest groups. Eleven Republicans defied their party’s leadership and voted to end debate, paving the way for McConnell’s confirmation hours later. Some said they wanted to abide by the spirit of the historic "Gang of 14" compromise, which in 2005 was designed to end judicial filibusters in all but "extraordinary circumstances."
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