Senators agree on high-skilled immigration reform, but Democrats insist it must be comprehensive

The current employment-based immigration system is dysfunctional and needs reform, panelists and lawmakers stated at a Senate Judiciary committee hearing on Tuesday. Judiciary Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) presided over the hearing, which heard testimony from leaders in the business, higher education and immigrant communities, as well as three American mayors.

Senate Judiciary Committee Endorses Kagan 13-6

The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted 13-6 to endorse Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s confirmation, sending her on to the full Senate for further consideration.

The vote broke largely on partisan lines — all 12 Democrats on the committee voted for Kagan while six of the seven Republicans voted against More…

Cornyn Predicts Kagan Will Get Judiciary’s Nod, But Not His

During a conference call with reporters today, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he would vote against Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s confirmation when the Senate Judiciary Committee considers her next week.

“I don’t believe that any nominee should be confirmed to the Supreme Court unless he or she has made More…

Senate Judiciary Committee Postpones Votes on Kagan and Cole to Next Week

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) just agreed to postpone committee votes on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and Deputy Attorney General nominee James Michael Cole by one week, rescheduling them for July 20.

Ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) had asked for the delay on behalf of committee Republicans, More…

GOP Senators Put Thurgood Marshall on Trial

At The Washington Post, Dana Milbank notes that Republicans have taken to criticizing Justice Thurgood Marshall as a way of attacking Elena Kagan’s (apparent) judicial philosophy:

As confirmation hearings opened Monday afternoon, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took the unusual approach of attacking Kagan because she admired the

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Final Countdown to Kagan Hearings Begins … With More Bork

Less than a week now remains until the beginning of Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings — the Senate Judiciary Committee announced today that Kagan’s hearings will begin at 12:30 p.m. on June 28. To mark the occasion, we were all treated to more past references by Kagan More…

Holder Defends 9/11 Civilian Trials, Defuses Critics

Eric Holder stepped into the Dirksen building this morning an embattled man facing Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee fiercely critical of his desire to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 conspirators in federal court. He left three hours later having defused some of his critics; conceding More…

Just Like That, Graham and Holder Find Indefinite Detention Consensus

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) leads the charge against Attorney General Eric Holder’s effort to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in civilian court. But when it comes to indefinite detention, they found a lot of common ground.

Holder acknowledged earlier in the hearing that the administration was still working on what More…

Sessions Backs Down on Mirandizing Osama Bin Laden

The first contentious moment between Attorney General Eric Holder and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) came almost three hours into today’s hearing. Asked to clarify his statement that Osama bin Laden won’t be Mirandized if he’s  somehow apprehended alive — as a way of bashing Mirandization of terrorists as a weak More…

You Make the Call! Are Classified Info Rules Different for Civilian Courts and Military Commissions?

Ah, a subject dear to my journalistic heart. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said that the Justice Department disclosed to the Senate Judiciary Committee a list of “seven” circumstances under which military commissions better protect classified information than civilian courts. Holder has previously testified that the differences in procedure are More…