Washington, D.C.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted down President Bush’s nomination of a Texas judge to the U.S. Court of Appeals, ending a highly publicized and partisan battle. The 10-9, party-line vote against Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen was the second time in six months the Democrat-led committee had rejected a Bush judicial nominee as too conservative. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Iowa) said Owens had an “unblemished” record, and should have been confirmed. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Bush was trying to “skew the court” by pushing a candidate with a conservative record on such issues as abortion and worker rights. “We are not a rubber stamp,” Feinstein said.
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