Senate Defeats Pryor Confirmation
Feature Story by Ritu Kelotra - 11/6/2003
For the second time, the U.S. Senate voted against invoking cloture on the confirmation of William Pryor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In order to invoke cloture – or shut down debate – Republicans needed to round-up 60 votes, which in turn would have put a stop to the Democratic filibuster. The final vote today was 51 to 43.In a statement released after the defeat of Pryor's confirmation, Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, applauded the Senate's decision:
"William Pryor is far beyond the mainstream of America," Henderson said in a statement. "His words and abysmal record in protecting civil, constitutional, and human rights demonstrate that he is an avowed extremist and legal activist."
Almost 200 national, local and state organizations oppose Pryor's confirmation, including civil rights, workers' rights, women's rights, individual rights, and civil liberties groups. The groups maintain that Pryor is one of the architects of the so-called "states' rights" movement that seeks to limit the power of Congress to enact legislation that protects civil and constitutional rights.
