What a lovely bunch of jackholes
by digby
Oh look, the Democratic majority of which we’re all supposed to be so protective just failed to protect a highly qualified Obama nominee because some reactionary Democrats couldn’t bring themselves to vote for someone who led the NAACP. What is this, 1953?
Debo Adegbile, who previously served as the acting head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, is one of the nation’s top civil rights attorneys. He’s also a leading expert on voting rights who twice defended the Voting Rights Act before the Supreme Court — the first time successfully. He was, in other words, an ideal candidate to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division — the division which, among other things, oversees the federal government’s voting rights work in an era where conservative state lawmakers are currently waging a widespread campaign to prevent demographic groups that tend to vote for Democrats from casting a ballot.
And yet, the Senate just voted his nomination down, thanks to seven Democrats. The Democrats who opposed Adegbile’s confirmation are Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and John Walsh (D-MT).
Why did this happen? Apparently because he defended the constitution at one time:
In 2008, a federal appeals court unanimously held — with two Reagan appointees on the panel — that procedures used during a convicted cop killer named Mumia Abu-Jamal’s death penalty hearing violated the Constitution. Specifically, the panel of predominantly Republican judges concluded that the trial judge gave the jury a confusing form that could have been read to require a death sentence unless every single juror agreed to a life sentence. The NAACP LDF filed an amicus brief on Abu-Jamal’s behalf.
At least one of the Democrats who opposed Adegbile, Sen. Casey, cited his work to overturn this unconstitutional death sentence as the reason for his opposition.
But never fear, just because you are a lawyer who defends the constitution it doesn’t mean you will forever be denied a job in the US Government. You can defend the constitution on behalf of all the white collar criminals you like. In fact, it’s required. It’s only if you defend it on behalf of the “wrong kind” of criminal (and I think you know what that means…) that you will be voted down by a bunch of right wing Senators.
And people wonder why so many Democrats are sick to death of having to put up with these assholes.
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