Judge’s Winding Path to Approval

Re “Senate Confirms Nomination of Filibuster Target,” May 26: Judge Priscilla R. Owen has now been confirmed to fill a seat on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has been vacant since January 1997. To fill that vacancy, President Clinton first nominated Jorge Rangel of Corpus Christi, Texas, whose nomination was returned to the president in 1998 after 15 months without even a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.

In September 1999, Clinton nominated Enrique Moreno to that seat, and that nomination was stalled, without a hearing, for 17 months.

President Bush withdrew Moreno’s nomination and replaced it with that of Owen. The Republicans do a shameful job of crying foul over the Democrats use of the filibuster while ignoring their own history of refusing to even hold hearings on 60 of Clinton’s nominees to the federal bench.

Hypocrisy, thy name is obstructionism.

Alan M. Strasburg

West Hollywood

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On May 24, the Senate voted 81 to 18 to allow an up-or-down vote on the nomination of Owen to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) voted to deny Owen a vote. On May 25, the Senate voted 56 to 43 to confirm Owen. Boxer voted against confirmation.

Boxer accused Owen of being out of the mainstream. It appears as though it is Boxer who is out of the mainstream.

Thomas R. Damiani

Newport Beach

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If the confirmation of Owen is what the Democrats call a “compromise,” I shudder to think what they would call an abject surrender.

Gary Garshfield

Irvine