FBI nominee reports net worth tops $11 million
Washington(CNN) – FBI nominee James Comey reported a net worth of more than $11 million in documents filed with the Senate committee due to weigh his confirmation on Tuesday.
Comey also reported to the Judiciary Committee that he will get a profit-sharing payout of more than $3 million from the hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, if confirmed.
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Sen. Herb Kohl to retire
Washington (CNN)– Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl announced Friday that he will retire after serving four terms in the Senate.
A Democratic source tells CNN, "The DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] has made sure that all these decisions were made and announced very early in the cycle. Democrats are confident that we can keep the seat."
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Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on Kagan nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)
(CNN) - The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
A vote was originally scheduled for July 13, but was delayed at the request of Republicans.
Such a delay is permitted under committee rules. The panel had a similar delay last year when considering the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.
The Judiciary Committee held four days of hearings on Kagan's nomination before Congress went on its Fourth of July recess.
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Kagan vote delayed one week
Washington (CNN) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday delayed its vote on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for a week at the request of the panel's ranking Republican.
Such a delay is permitted under committee rules. The panel had a similar delay last year when considering the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.
Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said he hoped to hold the vote on Kagan in a week's time, on July 20.
The Judiciary Committee held four days of hearings on Kagan's nomination before Congress went on its Fourth of July recess.
Seven GOP Senators demand Sestak investigation
Washington (CNN) - Congressional Republicans are turning up the heat on the White House about whether someone in the administration may have illegally offered a federal job to Rep. Joe Sestak, if the Pennsylvania Democrat would not challenge Sen. Arlen Specter's bid for re-election.
The seven Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday demanding he appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations, which were first raised by Sestak several months ago.
"These allegations concern what could be a serious breach of the law," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, the ranking member on the committee. "There has been enough talk regarding this matter; it is time for a thorough and professional investigation."
Neither Sestak nor White House officials have revealed who from the administration spoke to the congressman nor what job might have been offered him. White House aide David Axelrod told CNN's JKUSA Monday the allegations "would constitute a serious breach of the law."
Read the full letter here [pdf]
However he said after the charges were made White House lawyers investigated and determined "the conversations were perfectly appropriate."
"A mere assurance from the White House counsel is plainly not conclusive," Sessions said. "It is time to get to the bottom of this."
Obama judicial nominee faces tough Senate scrutiny
Washington (CNN) - Senate Republicans offered a cool reception Friday to a federal judicial nominee who has become a political lightning rod over his liberal views and his preparation for confirmation hearings.
Lawmakers on both sides traded barbs over Goodwin Liu's qualifications and his past statements on a variety of hot-button topics during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
If confirmed, Liu, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, would be the only Asian-American currently on the appeals courts, the level just below the Supreme Court. President Obama nominated him for a seat on the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in February.
During his testimony, the 39-year-old Liu calmly addressed the concerns of GOP senators.
"The question is if this the right job for you," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who cited Liu's lack of judicial experience and his late submission of professional documents - including past speeches and writings - required by the committee.
The nominee omitted 117 items from a committee questionnaire on his background. The items were eventually submitted and Liu acknowledged GOP frustration, and said, "I'm very sorry for the omission of information in my initial submission."
Sotomayor committee vote delayed one week
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed its confirmation vote for Judge Sonia Sotomayor by one week Tuesday, acceding to GOP demands for more time to examine the Supreme Court nominee's record.
"We all know that Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed," said panel chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. "Once she is passed in this committee, there will be no delay on the floor."
The White House and congressional Democrats have expressed confidence that a final floor vote on Sotomayor will occur before the early August Senate recess, leaving her with sufficient time to get settled into her new job and prepare for the high court's next oral arguments, scheduled for September 9.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, voiced her support for the 55-year-old federal appeals court judge, joining three GOP colleagues who earlier said they would vote for the nominee.
Why is Senate Judiciary so lopsided?
WASHINGTON (CNN) - When the Senate reorganized after the last election, in which Democrats grew their majority to at least 59 seats, Republicans and Democrats agreed the Democrats would hold an 11 to 8 seat majority in the Judiciary Committee.
In the last Senate, Democrats held a 10-9 edge in that committee. But at the time, the Democrats held a narrower 55-45 seat advantage in the Senate.
After former GOP Sen. Arlen Specter flipped parties, it was decided to just add his Judiciary seat to the Democratic side of the aisle without replacing him on the Republican side.
That gave the Democrats the current 12-7 advantage on the committee.
One note: Sen. Al Franken joined the committee last week, but that didn't change the committee ratio because Sen. Ron Wyden - who at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's request was a place holder on the committee until the Minnesota Senate race was resolved - left the committee upon Franken's arrival.
Judiciary Committee approves bill to update surveillance
Leahy is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - In a strict party-line vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved a proposal permanently updating the nation's electronic laws despite opposition from the Bush administration.
The bill would mean the nation's intelligence services do not need to request a court warrant to monitor foreign-to-foreign communications involving suspected terrorists.
Administration officials had been lobbying for a permanent change to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) after an intelligence court ruled earlier this year warrants were needed for those communications. Congress in August passed a temporary change and now is considering various bills to make it permanent.
The committee is expected to vote later in the day on a controversial question of whether to grant retroactive immunity to the telecommunication companies that cooperated with the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program. Several of the companies are facing lawsuits over their involvement. The White House is pushing for approval of the immunity provision, but many Democrats on the panel are opposed to it.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell wrote to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, Wednesday saying they would recommend a veto of this bill if it is presented to the president.
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