Congressional Crunch: Much to do in abbreviated session

By 

Jay Sekulow

|
June 21, 2011

3 min read

ACLJ

A

A

There's a three-week window of opportunity before Congress adjourns for the November elections and our Government Affairs team is busy focusing on several of the issues we have been engaged with for quite some time now.

 

First, there is the always-pressing issue of judicial nominations. For well over a year now, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and his staff have stalled many of the President's judicial nominees, specifically circuit court nominees.

 

Over the course of this year, only 18 judges, circuit or district court, have been confirmed.  The fact is this is one of the worst confirmation rates ever by the United States Senate.  One thing Chairman Leahy has made clear is that he is not going to let the nominations of any more appeals court nominees move forward during the remainder of the 110th Congress.  Our Government Affairs team reports that Sen. Leahy may move several district court nominees - at least two that have Democratic support.  The problem is there are numerous judicial nominees who are well qualified - at the both the federal appeals court and district court levels - that will remain bottled up in the Senate. 

 

Further, our Government Affairs team also continues to focus on the return of the troubling Fairness Doctrine.  It's disappointing that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to stand against the will of the American people, against the majority of the Congress, and against nearly half of her own caucus by refusing to allow the House of Representatives to vote on the Broadcaster Freedom Act, which would permanently put an end to the return of the Fairness Doctrine. 

 

By continuing to block this legislation, Speaker Pelosi is threatening to silence the voice of Christian broadcasters across the country.  We are continuing to ask Members of Congress to sign a discharge petition that would bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act to the floor for a vote. As of today, there are 198 signatures on the discharge petition, and 218 are needed for the Broadcaster Freedom Act to receive a fair up-or-down vote on the House floor.
 
Possibly most important over these final few weeks of congressional activity is the progress of the annual appropriations bills.  These bills fund the federal government, and every year there are efforts to use them as vehicles for anti-life, anti-family legislation.  One of our goals is to vigilantly track these bills in order to ensure that these stealthy efforts are defeated.  We are actively working with members of Congress and staff to ensure that groups like Planned Parenthood are not given even more of your hard-earned tax dollars.
 
We will keep you posted as this abbreviated legislative session unfolds.  You can also stay in touch with these and other issue of importance by listening to our daily radio broadcast, Jay Sekulow Live!