Senate Judiciary Committee

Examples of Senate Judiciary Committee in the following topics:

• The Confirmation Process

  • To be appointed as a federal judge, nominees must be confirmed by the Senate after being interviewed by a Committee.
  • During this process, a committee called the Senate Judiciary Committee conducts hearings, questioning nominees to determine their suitability.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee personally interviews nominees, a practice that is relatively recent and began in 1925.
  • Once the Committee reports out the nomination, the whole Senate considers it.
  • Before 1925, nominees were never questioned; after 1955, every nominee has been required to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer questions.

• Senate Confirmation

  • Senate confirmation is required for certain presidential appointments stated under the Constitution.
  • These positions are referred to as Presidential Appointment with Senate confirmation (PAS).
  • United States Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
  • In theory, this procedure allows both the executive and legislative branches to have some power over the judiciary and thus check the judicial branch's power.
  • Here, the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 2005.

• The Nomination Process

  • The president nominates judges to the nation's highest judiciary authority (Supreme Court), but Congress must approve those nominees.
  • Senate.
  • Senate is in recess.
  • Nominations go to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which usually holds hearings.
  • The next step for the Judiciary Committee is to vote on whether or not to send the nomination to the Senate floor.

• Advice and Consent

  • Advice and consent is a power of the Senate to be consulted on and approve treaties signed by the president.
  • The actual motion adopted by the Senate when exercising the power is "to advise and consent," which shows how initial advice on nominations and treaties is not a formal power exercised by the Senate.
  • For appointments, a majority of senators are needed to pass a motion "to advise and consent", but unless the appointment has the support of three-fifths of senators, a filibuster blocking the passage of the motion is possible.
  • The actual motion adopted by the Senate when exercising the power is "to advise and consent," which shows how initial advice on nominations and treaties is not a formal power exercised by the Senate.
  • Here, the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 2005.

• The Cabinet

  • The Secretary of State designate is reviewed and presented to the full Senate by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  • All Cabinet members are nominated by the President and then presented to the Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority.
  • The Secretary of State designate is reviewed and presented to the full Senate by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  • The Secretary of the Treasury is reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee.
  •  The confirmation of the office of Attorney General is overseen by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• Debate over the Presidency and the Judiciary

  • A compromise was eventually reached that the president should pick judges and the Senate confirm them.
  • The Committee of Detail was a committee established by the United States Constitutional Convention on June 23, 1787 to put down a draft text reflecting the agreements made by the convention up to that point, including the Virginia Plan's 15 resolutions.
  • The committee shortened the president's term from seven years to four years, freed the president to seek re-election after an initial term, and moved impeachment trials from the courts to the Senate.
  • The committee transferred important powers from the Senate to the president who now, for example, would be given the power to make treaties and appoint ambassadors.
  • James Madison authored the Virginia Plan, which contained important provisions on the presidency and judiciary.

• The Committee System

  • The House has twenty standing committees; the Senate has sixteen.
  • By 1906, the Senate maintained 66 standing and select committees—eight more committees than members of the majority party.
  • By May 27, 1920, the Russell Senate Office Building had opened, and with all Senate members assigned private office space, the Senate quietly abolished 42 committees.
  • Today the Senate operates with 20 standing and select committees.
  • These select committees, however, are permanent in nature and are treated as standing committees under Senate rules.

• The Staff System

  • Every Representative hired 14 staff members, while the average Senator hired 34.
  • Representatives had a limit of 18 full-time and four part-time staffers, while Senators had no limit on staff.
  • Majority and minority members hire their own staff, with the exception of two committees in each house: the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the House, and the Select Committee on Ethics and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the Senate.
  • In 2000, House committees had an average of 68 staff, and Senate committees an average of 46.
  • The Russell Senate Office Building houses several Congressional staff members, including those on the United States Senate Committees on Armed Services, Rules and Administration, Veterans' Affairs, and others.

• Conference Committee

  • A conference committee is a committee of Congress appointed by the House and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill.
  • A conference committee is a committee of Congress appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill.
  • Conference committees operate after the House and the Senate have passed different versions of a bill.
  • But apart from this one open meeting, conference committees usually meet in private and are dominated by the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees.
  • Formerly, the Senate required a Senator to object to the whole bill as reported by the conference committee.

• Party Leadership in the Senate

  • The party leadership of the Senate refers to the officials elected by the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference.
  • The party leadership of the United States Senate refers to the officials elected by the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference to manage the affairs of each party in the Senate.
  • Unlike committee chairmanships, leadership positions are not traditionally conferred on the basis of seniority, but are elected in closed-door caucuses.
  • The Senate Majority Leader is Harry Reid (Nevada) and serves as leader of the Senate Democratic Conference and manages the legislative business of the Senate.
  • Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) is the Senate Minority Leader and Jon Kyl (Arizona) is the Senate Minority Whip.