POLITICS Democrats strike deal with Bush on judicial appointees

The Democrats continue to oppose several nominees as too conservative.
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- The White House pledged that President Bush will not bypass the Senate in appointing federal judges for the next eight months as part of a bipartisan deal to break a seven-week impasse over votes on Bush's judicial nominees.
Under the agreement Tuesday, Bush will not use his constitutional power to give temporary appointments to judicial nominees during congressional recesses for the rest of his current term ending Jan. 20 -- a power he exercised twice in recent months, infuriating Democrats.
In return, Democrats, who had been holding up action on all of Bush's judicial choices since March to protest the recess appointments, agreed to allow votes on 25 mostly non-controversial nominations to district and appeals court posts over the next several weeks.
The agreement amounted to a partial cease-fire in the Senate's grueling war over Bush's conservative choices for the judiciary.
Still opposed
Democrats refused to include seven appeals court nominees whom they have been blocking -- or threatening to block -- as too ideologically conservative in their views on abortion, worker rights and other issues likely to confront a federal judge. Democrats will continue to oppose these nominees, Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, D-S.D., told reporters.
Other nominees will be considered on a case-by-case basis, Daschle said. It is doubtful that there will be many new nominations sent to the Senate floor for confirmation votes, however, because the Senate traditionally slows and then stops action on judicial nominations by the summer before a presidential election.
"We are very pleased" with the White House concession on recess appointments, Daschle told reporters shortly after White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card officially agreed to the deal in a meeting with Daschle and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Daschle said he was also pleased that "we can move forward on judges that we think deserve confirmation."
In a brief statement, White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said: "The president believes it is important to fill judicial vacancies in a timely manner, and this agreement is an important step in meeting that objective."