Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have been accused of breaking promises to give Judge Leslie Southwick a fair up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. Sen. Arlen Specter is speaking out about the assurances he and other senators were given regarding fair treatment for Southwick.
For more information on the Southwick nomination check the AdvanceUSA pro-justice page or recent blog posts on the subject here and here.
UPDATE: Roll Call reports that Senate Republicans are willing to bottle up legislation on the Senate floor if Judge Leslie Southwick is not given a fair up-or-down vote (full article is available by subscription). An excerpt from the article reads:
Barring an unlikely confirmation of Leslie Southwick to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by the Judiciary Committee this week, Senate GOP leaders have privately mapped out a retaliatory plan that involves blocking passage of Democratic legislation from now until the August recess.