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MAY 18, 2001

In a 9-9 vote split along party lines, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday was unable to agree on the nomination of Theodore B. Olson, President Bush's pick to be Solicitor General at the Department of Justice

As promised, all Democrats on the panel voted against sending Olson's nomination to the Senate floor. They had been calling for an investigation into Olson's involvement in an anti-Clinton magazine project but Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said no.

Now, under special Senate rules, Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) will forego commitee approval and bring the vote to the entire membership. Since the Senate is split 50-50 (with Vice President Dick Cheney holding the tie-casting vote), Lott has the power to do so.

As Solicitor General, Olson would represent the United States before the Supreme Court and also be the one who normally decides what cases the nation will pursue before the Court.

Olson represented Bush on the election cases last fall. He also argued successfully the case of Harold "Freddy" Rice, whose challenge to Native Hawaiian programs in Hawaii has lead to widespread changes in the state.

Miguel Estrada, one of Olson's partners at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, was nominated by President George W. Bush to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Get the Story:
Senate Panel Deadlocks On Olson Nomination (The Washington Post 5/18)

Relevant Links:
American Spectator - http://www.spectator.org
Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher - http://www.gdclaw.com

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