In the first fallout from the bipartisan deal that averted the nuclear option, today the Senate confirmed Priscilla Owen to a lifetime seat as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (which handles appeals of cases from Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi). The vote was 55-43. Since it takes 60 votes to end a filibuster, the vote count means that without the deal, the filibuster of Owen’s nomination could have continued.
Owen’s confirmation was opposed by a wide range of organizations, from Texas Watch, a group that advocates for consumers in Texas, to the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The National Women’s Law Center also opposed Owen’s nomination. Although Owen’s supporters tried to argue that the only basis for opposition to her nomination was her pro-life views, in fact there are numerous reasons to be concerned. Owen’s record shows that she is willing to put her own views—on abortion, but also on civil rights, consumer protections, and other issues—ahead of what the law actually says. Two newspapers from her home state put it well: the San Antonio News-Express said that her “record demonstrates a results-oriented streak that belies supporters’ claims that she strictly follows the law,” and the Houston Chronicle concluded she is “less interested in impartially interpreting the law than in pushing an agenda."
