US News

1st Obama judge confirmed since Senate changed filibuster rules

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats forced through the confirmation of Patricia Millett to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, the first of President Obama’s court appointments approved since the Democratic majority employed the “nuclear option” of changing the rules to stop Republican filibusters.

The Senate voted 56-38 mostly along party lines to confirm Millett, tilting the influential court to a majority of Democrat-appointed judges for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president.

The only Republican to vote for confirmation was Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The rule change allowed for appointments bellow the level of Supreme Court to proceed with a simple majority vote, rather the usual 60 votes.

Republicans have threatened to retaliate against the rule change, which was imposed last month, by using other procedural moves to slow the chamber’s work.

“This was a pure power grab,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said before the vote. “If the majority party can’t be expected to follow the rules, there are no rules.”

“For the President and his enablers in Congress, the ends now clearly justify the means. And that’s a very dangerous place for us to be,” he added. Obama said in a statement that he was “pleased” that Millett was confirmed in a “bipartisan vote.”

“I’m confident she will serve with distinction on the federal bench,” the president said.

With Millett on the bench, the court, which is considered the second-highest court in the land, will have five judges appointed by Democratic presidents and four appointed by Republican presidents.

The Senate is expected to confirm two more of Obama’s appointments to the 11-member court by the end of the week, giving the court a 7-4 Democratic tilt.