Pickering Signs Books in Hattiesburg

WDAM: Judge Charles Pickering's failed struggle for confirmation for a position on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is the centerpiece of a new book....A Price Too High: The Judiciary in Jeopardy, is the story of Judge Pickering's 4-year odyssey through the often-contenious, Senate confirmation process....Tonight, Judge Pickering signed copies of the book at Hattiesburg's Main Street Books. "Abortion was the engine that drove the opposition," said Judge Pickering. "They were so determined to keep the right to abortion on demand, that they were willing to destroy reputations and people," Pickering said. (Read the Full Story Here)

Mississippi Federal Bench Roundup

SunHerald: Newest federal judge sworn in - Halil Suleyman "Sul" Ozerden, a young attorney from Gulfport, was sworn in Thursday [Aug 23] as the state's newest federal judge...."One of the things I had instilled in me, particularly from my father, was the importance of public service and giving back to your country," Ozerden said. "America is about seizing opportunity and making the most of it." President Bush nominated Ozerden, 40, to replace retiring Judge David C. Bramlette who is taking senior status....Ozerden's father came to America from Turkey in 1963 with a suitcase and $100. "But he also came with the American dream and when you have that you can accomplish anything," Ozerden said. The new judge still has his father's old suitcase and naturalization certificate, which he plans to hang in his new office, "as a reminder never to take for granted the special rights and privileges we have in this country." (Read the Full Story)

Baton Rouge Advocate: Senate vote urged on 5th U.S. Circuit nominee - Two prominent Republican senators on Wednesday called for Democrats to allow a vote on the judge nominated to the federal bench in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals based in New Orleans. The Democrats should allow the nomination of Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick to come before the full chamber, said U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Specter was joined by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, former committee chairman. Southwick’s nomination has been held up by Senate Democrats....Specter is hoping to get a vote on Southwick before the end of the month, he said....U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is expected to support the nomination. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said Wednesday she has not decided which way to vote, though she had a good meeting with Southwick. (Read the Full Story)

Tupelo Daily Journal: Aycock closes in on full approval - About 11 a.m. Thursday, as Circuit Judge Sharion Aycock faced down seven people who wanted to make guilty pleas in the second-floor courtroom of the Lee County Justice Center, she received a note from a clerk....The note told her the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee had approved her in committee and to the full Senate for confirmation as a federal judge...for the U.S. District court seat vacated by Judge Glen H. Davidson....A Senate aide present at the business meeting in Washington said the vote was unanimous. The next step is for the full Senate to vote on the nomination. It's uncertain when that will happen. (Read the Full Article)

The Race Card

WDAM (NBC: Laurel/Hattiesburg) interviews Charles Pickering prior to a couple of book signings. They ask him about critics who played the race card and this clip has his response.

Filibuster Southwick?

There is talk of a filibuster of Leslie Southwick's nomination to the Pickering seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ana Radelat writes in today's Jackson Clarion Ledger: Southwick's nomination to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has been bitterly opposed by many Democrats who've criticized the judge's record on civil rights based on decisions he made while serving on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. But opposition to Southwick has not reached the level it had for previous nominees for that seat whom the Democrats were able to block from Senate confirmation - Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering and Jackson lawyer Mike Wallace. Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, said she hoped a Democratic senator would filibuster the nomination, or hold it up by extended debate...."We are not ruling out any technique ... including the filibuster," Aron said. (Read the full story here)

Judge Pickering discusses in depth the filibuster (its history, tradition, rules, motivations) in both his books. Chapter 10 of Supreme Chaos is titled "Filibuster: The Historic and Constitutional Case for Confirmation by Majority Vote" and Chapter 18 of A Price Too High is titled "End the Filibuster: The Constitutional Option."

Pickering notes in A Price Too High that early warnings of a filibuster were ignored during his and other early Bush nominees' confirmation fights: "Republicans did not take the warning of a filibuster seriously. The Democrats didn’t filibuster Robert Bork, and they didn’t filibuster Clarence Thomas. In fact, neither party had ever employed the filibuster to deny confirmation to a nominee enjoying majority support. Blocking nominees in committee was bad enough, but blocking judicial nominees by filibuster would be unprecedented. The Democrats had just taken a licking at the ballot box in part due to their obstruction of judicial nominees. Election losses historically are effective teaching techniques utilized by voters. Those of us who doubted the Democrats would follow through on the threatened filibuster did not comprehend the control that the Far Left—out of the mainstream—special-interest groups held over the Democrats in the Senate." (page 120)

He later notes that the filibuster is purely a political tool because controversial and important nominations have always been dealt with previously: "It is not necessary to filibuster judges who are truly out of the mainstream. History shows us the Senate can discuss, vet, and even defeat contentious Supreme Court nominees without the need of a filibuster. In fact, the Senate has defeated twelve Supreme Court nominees by majority vote without filibuster. Certainly if we can resolve the Supreme Court nominations without filibusters, we can do the same for appellate nominees." (page 250)

Two Items

The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the exoneration of decorated Korean War veteran Clyde Kennard who tried to integrate the University of Southern Mississippi. Charles Pickering had presented the petition of exoneration.

Author and activist Richard Viguerie has suggested ten names to replace Alberto Gonzales as U.S. Attorney General, including Ed Meese, William Pryor, Edith Jones and Charles Pickering.

Hattiesburg

Judge Charles Pickering will sign copies of his book “A Price Too High: The Judiciary in Jeopardy” from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 6 at Main Street Books, 210 N. Main St. in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Southwick voted out of committee

A surprise yes vote from Senator Feinstein passes Southwick out of committee.