By Neil W. McCabe

In a Feb. 20 statement to the Somerville News, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., blasted a recent judicial appointment by President George W. Bush of William Pryor the federal bench.

“This is an outrageous appointment, of a nominee who has
questionable commitment to the authority of the Supreme Court and the rule of law,” Kennedy said.

“There is no way the Senate would confirm the Pryor nomination. A
recess appointment during this brief Senate recess is such a flagrant abuse
of Presidential power that it may well be unconstitutional,” he said.

“What will the President try next—a recess appointment when the Senate is in recess for a weekend?” he said.

“The Pryor nomination was especially objectionable in the Senate because of serious doubts that he had testified truthfully to the Judiciary Committee about his fund-raising activities for the Republican Attorney Generals Association. That investigation is continuing,” Kennedy said.

In a March 1 interview with the Somerville News, David Smith, the senator’s press secretary said Kennedy’s staff was researching all possible recourses, including litigation to confront what the senator sees as a breach of constitutional norms.