Bench Memos

Cloture on Kavanaugh

Yesterday evening, the Senate invoked cloture, by a 67-30 vote, on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit.  Twelve Democrats (Biden, Byrd, Carper, Feinstein, Kohl, Landrieu, Lieberman, Lincoln, both Nelsons, Obama, and Pryor) joined all 55 Republicans in voting for cloture. 

So much for Senate Democratic “leader” Harry Reid’s statement earlier this week that Democrats would allow cloture to be invoked.  I noted earlier Reid’s lack of clout over his fellow Democrats.  But Reid apparently can’t even control his own course of conduct: notwithstanding his earlier statement, he voted against cloture on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Senate sources assure me that the final floor vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination will occur today, though there is no express agreement to that effect and the Senate rules would allow 30 hours of post-cloture debate.   

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