The quest by President Obama to put Michael P. Boggs – who supported the Confederate flag and opposed abortion – on the federal bench in Georgia is over.
Senator Patrick J. Leahy, who leads the Judiciary Committee, told us it had become clear after talking to his colleagues that Mr. Boggs, under fire from Democrats for his conservative positions, could not win committee support.
Mr. Leahy signaled that Mr. Boggs should withdraw: “He doesn’t have the votes.”
Mr. Boggs earns the unusual distinction as the first Obama judicial nominee this term to fail because of Democratic opposition.
Nominated as part of a deal between the White House and Georgia’s Republican senators to fill a half-dozen court vacancies, Mr. Boggs was opposed by civil rights and progressive groups. He was grilled by Democrats at a May confirmation hearing and pressed to answer additional questions in writing.
The situation was uncomfortable for Democrats, who did not want to defy the president but worried about alienating black voters they need this fall.
– Carl Hulse
via 2014 September 22 – First Draft. Political News, Now. – NYTimes.com.
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