Deja Vu All Over Again

Yesterday, the White House announced its intention to renominate its five most controversial appeals court candidates: William Haynes II, Terrence Boyle, Michael Wallace, William Myers III, and Randy Smith. According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has dubbed the renominations "extremely divisive." "The move sets the stage for yet another election-year battle over the federal judiciary," The New York Times explained, but whether it "will now lead to confrontation," and specifically "the nuclear option," remains "unclear." The Times also quoted our own Nan Aron, who called the president's announcement "nothing more than a ploy to gin up the base in this critical election year," and suggested that "rather than playing politics with our nation's courts, the president should send up nominees who are fair, just and qualified." For more on the topic, see here, here and here.