By Staff
President Bush has called for an end to senatorial filibusters in the matter of judicial appointments to the United States judiciary. Several months ago the president nominated Miguel Estrada for a seat on the Court of Appeals. A clear-cut majority favors this nomination, but at last count, there are 45 senators who are dead set so far in refusing to support the nomination of Mr. Estrada. Since it takes the vote of 60 senators to stop a filibuster, unless at least five more join the "filibuster busters," it just appears right now that this nomination is doomed.
We read that many senators feel that President Bush is trying to load the U.S. Supreme Court with conservative lawyers. As a conservative, the president naturally is going to name justices whose basic political philosophy agrees with his.
As always, politics makes strange bedfellows. It takes strange paths at times.