US Senate confirms Owen as part of filibuster truce News
US Senate confirms Owen as part of filibuster truce

[JURIST] The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen [court profile] to the US Circuit Court of Appeals by a 56-43 vote that fell largely along party lines. The vote was the first to confirm one of President Bush's disputed judicial nominees and was made possible by the compromise [JURIST report] implemented to avert the "nuclear option" of banning judicial filibusters. Owen was among ten appeals court candidates blocked by Senate Democrats in the last Congress. Reuters has more.