And so it begins:
Majority Democrats in the Senate won approval Tuesday for one of President Barack Obama’s key judicial nominees, the first of his picks to win confirmation since they weakened the chamber’s filibuster rules.
Senators voted 56-38 to approve Washington lawyer Patricia Millett to join the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the nation’s second most powerful court.
Both sides saw Millett’s appointment as pivotal. It will give Democratic-appointed judges a 5-4 majority over those chosen by Republican presidents for that court, which rules on the legality of White House actions and federal agency regulations.
Meanwhile, the Republicans retain the ability to be annoying.
As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for unanimous approval of 76 nominations — including Janet Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve and Jeh Johnson, Obama’s choice to run the Homeland Security Department — Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. rose to object.
“Who knows what the next power play will be?” Alexander said.
Reid said Alexander’s objections were “as flat as a bottle of beer that’s been open for six months.” He then scheduled votes on several nominations.
The backlog of nominees is depressingly large.
