While Americans are most likely consumed with holiday festivities or struggling with the current economy, Democrats are trying to ram through several judicial nominees and investigate the Supreme Court, to protests of Republican lawmakers.
During a Thursday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Dick Durbin ignored, even violated, longstanding procedure because they were trying to fast track subpoenas for Republican donor Harlan Crow and activist Leonard Leo, arguing they have influenced Supreme Court Justices with gifts and donations.
On top of that, he didn't let Republican committee members speak up about judicial nominations they wanted to object to.
Before the vote to subpoena, The Hill reports that "Republican members of the committee stormed out of the hearing room in the Hart building." No Republicans voted on the motion that passed.
Durbin went on with the vote "To prevent Republicans from delaying it until next week by invoking a rule to limit committee meetings to two hours." Even though Democrats approved the subpoenas without Republicans, it still would require 60 votes on the Senate floor to enforce them and that's not likely to pass, so the controversial push for subpoenas was ceremonial at best and a show of solidarity among people promoting the idea that Republican donors were garnering favor with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito through gifts.
Before the two-hour hearing concluded, Durbin stonewalled Republicans from speaking about two judicial nominees who were coming before the committee for a second time.
It's safe to say that by investigating donors who've befriended Supreme Court members or pushing for nominees to the judiciary that other Republicans oppose -- folks who could potentially then be in line for another Supreme Court vacancy -- Democrats are still trying to make Republicans "Pay the price." The Supreme Court is a vital branch in the trio of the nation's government.
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