All of what follows is from a press release from Senate majority leader Frist’s office:
With the continued uncertainty over whether the minority will keep to a timeframe of voting, up or down, on Judge Alito on Friday, January 20, Senator Frist today made the following announcements to his Senate Republican colleagues on an afternoon conference call:
· Whenever the Judiciary Committee reports out the Alito nomination, the full Senate will begin work on the nominee the next business day.
· If Democrats delay final action past January 20th, he will cancel the recess for the week of January 23rd which he had previously scheduled with the knowledge of Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
· Until the Senate votes, up or down, on the Alito nomination, he will not act on any other legislative item.
Frist made the following statement regarding his decision:
“Nothing right now is more key than the Senate voting, up or down, on the nomination of Judge Alito. I will keep the Senate at work and focused on the Alito nomination until we are done. Judge Alito, his family and the American people deserve a prompt and fair up or down vote on the Senate floor. When it comes to any delay in Judge Alito’s nomination, a Justice delayed will not be a Justice denied.”