Here Come the Judges!

Yesterday the New York Times reportes that Karl Rove was tasked with firing up the conservative base. Today The Hill reports that Karl Rove is pushing the Hill for action on 20 judicial nominations. These nominations come at a time when conservative activists are fed up with the slow pace on judges; hopefully this is a sign that the White House is serious:

Rove prepares 20 judges
By Alexander Bolton

Presidential adviser Karl Rove and White House counsel Harriet Miers yesterday told conservative activists and Senate staff that the administration would soon send the names of more than 20 judicial nominees to Capitol Hill for confirmation.

The undertaking to move ahead came at a 2:30 meeting at the White House that was boycotted by leading conservatives upset at the slow pace of nominations, according to people who attended the meeting.

Conservatives are upset by the Senate’s slow pace on judges since the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in February. They are frustrated that the White House has sent few nominees with strong conservative records.

Conservatives are also angry that Senate Republicans agreed to hold a second Judiciary Committee hearing on D.C. Circuit Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh today.

Prominent conservatives who have played instrumental roles in the battle over the federal judiciary but skipped the meeting included Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society; former Attorney General Edwin Meese, chairman for the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies; and Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice. A representative for the Committee for Justice didn’t attend either.

In recent weeks Majority Leader Frist has shown a convert's commitment to spending restraint and strict-constructionist judges. I guess he wants to make sure that as he exits the Majority Leader seat, the memories that Presidential primary votes have of him are fond ones. I'm predicting he takes judges very seriously in the weeks ahead.

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