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Salazar comes through on judicial appointments

Rocky Mountain News

Published September 9, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Even as we were chiding Sen. Ken Salazar in this space Saturday for failing to fully use his leverage to push nominations for three openings on Colorado's U.S. District Court, Salazar was privately negotiating a deal that could fill two of those seats.

Good for him. If all goes well, University of Colorado legal counsel Christine Arguello and former federal prosecutor Philip Brimmer will be confirmed to the court before Congress adjourns this fall.

Salazar, a Democrat, deserves credit for keeping the lines of communication open with his colleague, retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard, along with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and other committee members.

The Colorado senators announced Monday that committee hearings for Arguello and Brimmer will take place today. If they're approved by the committee, Arguello and Brimmer could be confirmed by the full Senate before the end of the month.

Even with two vacancies filled, Colorado's judges will still be overworked. The federal judiciary's policy-making committee says Colorado should have nine district judges, not just seven, to adequately handle the caseload.

Salazar says a chance remains that Congress could add one judge to the district by the end of the year. Given the fine work he did this weekend, we won't discount that possibility.

Comments

  • September 9, 2008

    7:57 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    gary writes:

    University of Colorado legal counsel Christine Arguello and former federal prosecutor Philip Brimmer will be confirmed to the court before Congress adjourns this fall.

    Let's see.....Christine Arguello....hmmm. does she support illegal aliens the same as Salazar does?

    Come on RMN give us the details on this issue and on Salazar.

    Good for him.....well he was the one blocking in the first place.
    Not to mention Christine was promoted by a committee that Salazar appointed.

    Nuff Said!

  • September 9, 2008

    12:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    peteSmith writes:

    It's true. Our Colorado judiciary is overwhelmed and overworked, usually with meritless and frivolous cases. See the September 7th & 9th entries at http://www.knowyourcourts.com/News/ne... for more reading and for ways that you to help out our beleaguered federal judiciary.

    I was thinking about, perhaps, a bake sale. Or, perhaps, a raffle with the prize of either a one-year Gold membership to AdultFriendFinder.com or a couple of lapdances from the Diamond Cabaret for the lucky recipient judge.