POLITICO: On Monday evening, something exceptional happened in the Senate: Lawmakers confirmed a Circuit Court judge nominated by President Barack Obama. Luis Felipe Restrepo of Pennsylvania became only the second Circuit Court judge approved in the past year, and the 12th federal judge overall, an approval rate slower than any time since 1969.
Now, conservatives are demanding that Restrepo — who had a critical booster in GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — be the last Obama nominee confirmed before the president leaves office…
So far, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) isn’t planning on a full blockade: He’s already agreed with Democrats to approve four more federal judges by the end of February. Still, that won’t make much of a dent in the backlog of 30 lifetime judicial nominees still awaiting confirmation… (more)
