All the conservatives like to whine about this guy, does anyone know anything about him? They say that since he's a minority and conservative that everyone automatically hates him. IIRC, he was one of Bush's judicial nominees, and supposedly had the votes needed but his confirmation was blocked by a group of Democrats who don't like him.
Here's pretty much all I could find, though the website is no doubt a bit biased:
Ultra-conservative lawyer Miguel Estrada has been nominated to the influential Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In his relatively short legal career, Estrada has given rise to serious doubts about whether he meets these criteria. His former supervisor in the Justice Department concluded that Estrada “lacks the judgment” and is “too much of an ideologue to be an appeals court judge.” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund are opposed to Estrada’s confirmation.
Estrada’s record shows:
-Estrada has expressed the disturbing view that Americans should not be permitted to turn to the judicial branch when legislative decisions harm fundamental constitutional freedoms. In fact, it is precisely when a legislature has used its power to violate the freedoms of the less powerful that judicial review becomes crucial. Estrada’s argument would mean that religious and racial minorities and others whose constitutional rights are threatened would have no recourse but to submit to the will of the majority.
-As a lawyer in private practice, Estrada has sought to defend so-called anti-loitering statutes and ordinances, which have been demonstrated to disproportionately harm African-Americans and Latinos in much the same manner as racial profiling. Federal and state courts, including the Supreme Court, have invalidated a number of these provisions as violating the First Amendment freedom to assembly and the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Estrada has even tried to argue that the NAACP should not be allowed to challenge such ordinances.
-Estrada has sought to use the First Amendment as a shield for a large company that had been found guilty of deceptive advertising by the Federal Trade Commission. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, including several judges appointed by Republican presidents, unanimously rejected his line of reasoning.
-Despite his troubling record, Estrada refused to answer key questions at his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about his judicial philosophy, such as his views about important Supreme Court decisions. For example, he refused to name a single Supreme Court decision in the last 50 years that he thought was wrong. In light of the Senate’s co-equal role in judicial appointments, the Senate should not confirm a nominee who refuses even to answer such critical questions.
All the conservatives like to whine about this guy, does anyone know anything about him? They say that since he's a minority and conservative that everyone automatically hates him. IIRC, he was one of Bush's judicial nominees, and supposedly had the votes needed but his confirmation was blocked by a group of Democrats who don't like him.
Yeah, he does have (or had, since he's withdrawn from the confirmation process) the votes, but a group of Democrats prevented his nomination through filibuster.
I'd have to do some research on the above allegation to comment on them, but I should point out that Estrada has received extremely high marks from the ABA, which is known to lean left.
In any case, the Republicans pretty aggressively tried to block Clinton's judicial nominations, so the Democrats are naturally doing the same now. Just part of politics, I guess, no one side has the right to complain more than the other.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
Durran Korr wrote:In any case, the Republicans pretty aggressively tried to block Clinton's judicial nominations, so the Democrats are naturally doing the same now. Just part of politics, I guess, no one side has the right to complain more than the other.
Did they? Yet another fact that conservatives conveniently leave out in their incessant whining about how a nomination has never been blocked, or something like that...
I was going to throw out the question of whether it's right for them to block it if he has a majority, but I guess the point is moot since it's politics.
Did they? Yet another fact that conservatives conveniently leave out in their incessant whining about how a nomination has never been blocked, or something like that...
Yeah, they did, and by that token the Democrats are perfectly justified in wanting to take revenge. However...
I was going to throw out the question of whether it's right for them to block it if he has a majority, but I guess the point is moot since it's politics.
...Estrada does have the votes, and his failure to be confirmed marks the first time a judicial nominee has ever been defeated through filibuster. Something the Republicans definitely won't forget.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
It's a relatively new tactic to label anyone who criticises minority conservatives as a racist. Can't criticise Rice, Estrada or Keyes without being called a race baiter or something. "yuo doesnt watn too see blkca ppl acheeve!11 u want thm in ur librul gettos!1" Rove demands this of his cult, and Freepers everywhere shall bow down and obey, else they be labeled as a RINO or communist double agent.
"Right now we can tell you a report was filed by the family of a 12 year old boy yesterday afternoon alleging Mr. Michael Jackson of criminal activity. A search warrant has been filed and that search is currently taking place. Mr. Jackson has not been charged with any crime. We cannot specifically address the content of the police report as it is confidential information at the present time, however, we can confirm that Mr. Jackson forced the boy to listen to the Howard Stern show and watch the movie Private Parts over and over again."
Hamel wrote:It's a relatively new tactic to label anyone who criticises minority conservatives as a racist. Can't criticise Rice, Estrada or Keyes without being called a race baiter or something. "yuo doesnt watn too see blkca ppl acheeve!11 u want thm in ur librul gettos!1" Rove demands this of his cult, and Freepers everywhere shall bow down and obey, else they be labeled as a RINO or communist double agent.
Turnabout is fair play.
"Well, it's too bad that thread pilots aren't allow to carry pistols.
Otherwise they would have stopped you." - Pablo Sanchez
Yo Stim, you live in Marietta? That's where I'm from. What area?
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
I worked for a company that had it's main campus in Norcross. Can I join the group.
As for the blocking of appointments, payback is a bitch. I hate it when Republicans cry like fucking babies for behaivor they engage in. Both sides are at fault here.
Hamel wrote:It's a relatively new tactic to label anyone who criticises minority conservatives as a racist. Can't criticise Rice, Estrada or Keyes without being called a race baiter or something. "yuo doesnt watn too see blkca ppl acheeve!11 u want thm in ur librul gettos!1" Rove demands this of his cult, and Freepers everywhere shall bow down and obey, else they be labeled as a RINO or communist double agent.
Turnabout is fair play.
Actually, I don't totally disagree with you, but I think the parties abuse minorites in different ways
Jackson, teh mastar shackdown artist, and some other dems always blame problems on whitey no matter what happens. Repubs are busy lecturing people on personal responsibility while using black conservatives as gimmicks. Keyes, besides existing as a rile-em-up example to lure minorities over to the right, is merely a raving fundie lunatic and boring moralizer that no one cares about anymore. And has Condi done anything more than look pretty for the cameras?
"Right now we can tell you a report was filed by the family of a 12 year old boy yesterday afternoon alleging Mr. Michael Jackson of criminal activity. A search warrant has been filed and that search is currently taking place. Mr. Jackson has not been charged with any crime. We cannot specifically address the content of the police report as it is confidential information at the present time, however, we can confirm that Mr. Jackson forced the boy to listen to the Howard Stern show and watch the movie Private Parts over and over again."
...Estrada does have the votes, and his failure to be confirmed marks the first time a judicial nominee has ever been defeated through filibuster. Something the Republicans definitely won't forget.
BRAH! Failed! 1968, Republicans filibuster Lyndon Johnson's Supreme Court candidate Abe Fortas. It is, prehaps too old to be the cause of the Estrada problem.
Anyway, it's funny watching a Generic Republican: This is the first filibuster in appellate court history!
The primary concern about Democratic filibusters of judicial nominations is that it changes the amount of votes needed to confirm a nominee, from 51 to 60. This has constitutional implications, since the President has the authority, with consent of the Senate (i.e. majority), to appoint federal justices.
Republicans did block several of Clinton's judicial nominees, but this occured because the GOP was in control of the Senate Judical Committee (I think thats the right name of it) and prevented the vote on these nominees from ever reaching the Senate floor. Shameful politics? Yes. Unconstitutional? No.
As for Estrada himself...I think its a damn shame he was denied beacuse of politcal trench warfare. I think there'll be some interesting activity in the Senate before the 2004 elections, while the GOP still has the majority.
...Estrada does have the votes, and his failure to be confirmed marks the first time a judicial nominee has ever been defeated through filibuster. Something the Republicans definitely won't forget.
BRAH! Failed! 1968, Republicans filibuster Lyndon Johnson's Supreme Court candidate Abe Fortas. It is, prehaps too old to be the cause of the Estrada problem.
Anyway, it's funny watching a Generic Republican: This is the first filibuster in appellate court history!
Something I should have remembered, thanks for correcting me.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
IIRC, he was one of Bush's judicial nominees, and supposedly had the votes needed but his confirmation was blocked by a group of Democrats who don't like him. 
