Along with roll call votes last week, the Senate also passed the CBP HiRe Act (S. 1305), to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with adequate flexibility in its employment authorities; the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act (H.R. 390); and the RBIC Advisers Relief Act (S. 2765), to exempt investment advisers who solely advise certain rural business investment companies.
There were no key votes in the House this week.
SENATE VOTES
KAVANAUGH CLOTURE VOTE: The Senate has agreed to a cloture motion to end debate on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. A supporter, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, called Kavanaugh “the most qualified nominee in our nation’s history,” with 12 years of service as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and said the sexual assault allegations recently brought by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford lacked specifics and failed to meet the lowest standard of proof. An opponent, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Kavanaugh lacked “the impartiality, the temperament, and the even-handedness that is needed to serve on this great High Court of our land.” The vote, on Oct. 5, was 51 yeas to 49 nays.
YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine
NAYS: Angus King, I-Maine
KAVANAUGH CONFIRMATION: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. The vote, on Oct. 6, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING: The Senate has concurred in the House amendments to the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (S. 3021), to authorize spending on critical water infrastructure projects, including navigation improvements to inland waterways and the prevention of water pollution. The vote, on Oct. 10, was 99 yeas to 1 nay.
YEAS: Collins, King
SHORT-TERM HEALTH INSURANCE: The Senate has rejected a resolution (S.J. Res. 63), sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., that would have disapproved of and voided a government rule adopted this August that authorizes the offering of health insurance plans that cover individuals for less than 12 months and can be renewed for up to 36 months. Baldwin called plans offered under the rule junk insurance plans that “can deny healthcare coverage to people with preexisting conditions when they need it the most.” The vote, on Oct. 10, was 50 yeas to 50 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Bossert Clark to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Justice Department. Clark had served as a deputy in the division from 2001 to 2005, then worked as a partner in the Kirkland & Ellis law firm. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 52 yeas to 45 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
CIVIL RIGHTS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Eric S. Dreiband to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 50 yeas to 47 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David James Porter to serve as a judge on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Porter has specialized in commercial litigation since 1994. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 50 yeas to 45 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
SECOND APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ryan Douglas Nelson to serve as a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Nelson, who worked in the Justice Department and White House during the George W. Bush administration, has been general counsel for a wellness product direct marketing company called Melaleuca since 2009. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 51 yeas to 44 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
THIRD APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Richard J. Sullivan to serve as a judge on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Sullivan worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 1994 to 2005, and has been a judge in that same district since 2007. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 79 yeas to 16 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
GEORGIA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of William M. Ray II to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Ray, a former Georgia state senator, has since 2002 served as a judge on the Gwinnett County Superior Court and then the Georgia Court of Appeals. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 54 yeas to 41 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
ALABAMA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Liles Clifton Burke to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Burke has been a city, county, and appeals court judge in Alabama since 2001. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 55 yeas to 40 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
LOUISIANA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Michael Joseph Juneau to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Juneau has been a lawyer at his own Juneau David law firm in Lafayette, LA, since 1993, specializing in maritime law and product liability. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 54 yeas to 41 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
TENNESSEE DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Mark Saalfield Norris, Sr., to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Norris, a Tennessee state senator since 2001, has also been a private practice lawyer in Memphis since 1980. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 51 yeas to 44 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
WEST VIRGINIA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Thomas S. Kleeh to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Kleeh has been a private practice lawyer in Bridgeport, WV, since 1999, specializing in labor and employment law. The vote, on Oct. 11, was 65 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
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