Harry Reid Attempting to Ram Through Another Judge
With the help of tons of emails from Gun Owners of America members that poured into the Senate earlier this year, a gun-hating Obama judicial nominee had been kept from coming to the floor for a vote.
But thanks to good old Harry Reid, who likes to pretend he supports gun rights, that nominee is coming up for a vote on Tuesday.
Using his power as Majority Leader, Senator Reid made a procedural move last week to force a vote on Caitlin Halligan, formerly the solicitor general of New York and an avid leader in the effort to destroy firearms manufacturers using frivolous litigation.
Click here to send your Senators a pre-written letter.
Reid scheduled the on Halligan vote for this Tuesday, December 6. Consider it an early Christmas present for his anti-gun pals.
Gun Owners of America began in February briefing Senate members on the dangers of confirming Halligan to a seat on the D.C. Court of Appeals — sometimes called the second highest court in the land.
As New York’s solicitor general, Halligan was one of the chief lawyers responsible for New York’s baseless and politically motivated efforts to bankrupt gun manufacturers using frivolous litigation. In so doing, Halligan proved that she places liberal political activism above fealty to the law.
Halligan’s public hatred for firearms was only matched by her zealotry inside the courtroom. In a speech on May 5, 2003, Halligan called for “handgun manufacturers [to be held] liable for criminal acts committed with handguns.”
Certainly, no other manufacturer of another item — whether it be cars, baseball bats, or anything else — would be held liable for the criminal misuse of its product. And, as Halligan well knows, the application of that principle to firearms would surely eliminate the manufacture of firearms in America.
After attempts of legal extortion of the firearms industry were repudiated by a bipartisan vote in Congress, Halligan’s office did not let up on attacking gun rights, signing a brief calling for New York courts to declare the federal Gun Makers’ Protection Act unconstitutional.
Finally, Halligan, in written testimony submitted to the Senate in connection with her nomination, attempted to conceal the extent of her anti-gun animus.
Halligan’s failure to provide information that would clarify her statements, thus keeping her testimony from being misleading, constitutes “fraud” against the Senate. As such, the only role she should play in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the role of a defendant.
But, of course, none of this matter to Harry Reid. He already did his part getting two strident anti-gun Obama judges onto the Supreme Court, and now he’s doing what he can to pack the Appeals Courts with radical leftists as well.
We have to stop this Reid/Obama court-packing scheme. Please act now, as the vote is scheduled for this Tuesday.
Click here to send your Senators a prewritten email message.
Tags: Caitlin Halligan, Dirty Harry Reid, ex post facto law, Gun Control, Gun Owners of America, Law, News, Politics
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
December 6, 2011 at 17:04
The response of Gun Owners of America members to Monday’s alert was overwhelming and played an important role in defeating the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan, a judicial nominee with a history of anti-gun activism.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to ram through Halligan’s confirmation on Tuesday afternoon. In a procedural maneuver known as a “cloture vote,” Reid needed 60 votes to move the nomination forward for a final vote, but was defeated 54-45.
Halligan, a former solicitor general in New York, was a leading advocate for bankrupting the firearms industry through the use of frivolous lawsuits.
Her confirmation to the D.C. Court of Appeals, commonly referred to as the second most important court in the country, would have been particularly troubling because that court is often viewed as a steppingstone to the U.S. Supreme Court. If a seat were to open up on the High Court next year, President Obama would have been able to call on the Senate to simply approve Halligan once more.
Gun Owners of America briefed Senate offices right up to the time of the vote of the danger of confirming Halligan.
All Republicans voted against Halligan except for Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted in favor of the nominee, and Orrin Hatch of Utah, who voted Present. Every Democrat voted in lock-step with Obama and Reid.
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