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Tuesday, July 06, 2004 |
The Senate voted 51-46 to confirm the nomination of Leon Holmes. The Senate will now begin consideration of the Class Action Reform bill.
6:17:38 PM 
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The Senate is now voting on the nomination of Leon Holmes of Arkansas to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
5:49:07 PM
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Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is speaking on the nomination of Leon Holmes. She is noting that she takes very seriously the responsibility of confirming life time appointments to the bench. The Senator noted that she has read carefully the statements of Mr. Holmes and she believes that the Senate must use its judgement to deem whether the nominee will be impartial in all cases. She stated that she believes this is not the case and will not support his nomination.
4:15:16 PM
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Senator Leahy is speaking about the nomination of Leon Holmes to be the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. The Senator has pointed out that the Mr. Holmes has stated that he believes that conception occurs after a woman is raped about as often as a snowflake falls in Miami. Senator Leahy remarked that as a States Attorney in Vermont he prosecuted a number or rape cases and he wonders what Mr. Holmes would tell the women who were raped and later became pregnant. He continued to say that it would be false to say that the Democrats have used a pro-choice litmus test for voting on nominations, with the evidence being the number of pro-life judicial nominations they have approved. The Senator did point out that the Bush Administration are the ones that appear to have a litmus test, a pro-life litmus test, and that he cannot remember a Bush nominee who was pro-choice.
2:54:05 PM
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The Senate now stands in recess until 2:15 for its weekly policy meetings.
12:36:23 PM
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Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is urging his colleaguses to support the nomination of J. Leon Holmes to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas, saying that opposing this nomination sends the message that the Senate is not as religiously tolerant as it claims to be.
12:35:41 PM
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Senator Orrin Hatch, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is voicing his full support for the confirmation of J. Leon Holmes to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Senator Hatch is mentioning Mr. Holmes' job experience, including his current position as a partner at a Little Rock law firm. He is also pointing out that Mr. Holmes has served as a special judge on the Arkansas Supreme Court. He is stating that Mr. Holmes has also contributed to the community outside of work, such as when he served as a house parent when he was a graduate student. Senator Hatch is saying that Mr. Holmes has admitted that some of the statements he has made have been insensitive and is saying that especially when he was younger, some of his statements were extreme. Acknowledging that we have all made comments that we would most likely wish to take back, Senator Hatch is saying that Mr. Holmes will abide by the law and fairly adjudicate, being able to put aside personal feelings. Responding to controversial comments that Mr. Holmes has made concerning a woman's role in relation to her husband, Senator Hatch is saying that Mr. Holmes has strong Catholic beliefs, and is reading from the Bible, quoting chapter five, in The Book of Ephesians, which states, "wives, submit yourselves to your husbands."
11:07:45 AM
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Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas came to the floor to say that while many times people do not agree with Leon Holmes' position, they always respect him.
10:48:37 AM
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The Senate recovenes this morning at 9:45 to consider the nomination of J. Leon Holmes to be the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. At 12:30, the Senate will recess for its weekly policy meeting.
8:13:58 AM
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