The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee requested today a one-week delay before the committee votes on the nomination of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court.
The request from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) was expected. The committee’s rules allow members to delay any matter by one meeting or one week, whichever would be longer.
“I think for a Supreme Court nomination, in particular, that’s appropriate,” Sessions said. He commended committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for how Leahy handled Kagan’s confirmation hearing, but he added, “I think we’re moving this nomination in a very expeditious manner.”
Leahy said he would reschedule the vote and a committee debate for Tuesday, July 20, to be followed sometime later by a vote in the full Senate. The delay puts the committee vote 19 days after Kagan finished testifying before the committee — longer than the committee waited to vote on either Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. or Justice Samuel Alito Jr., Leahy said.
“I suspect that every member of this committee knows how he or she will vote,” he said.
UPDATE (10:44 a.m.): Also at Sessions' request, the committee delayed by one week a vote on Byran Cave partner James Cole to be deputy attorney general.
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