NPR's Nina Totenberg has the second of two reports on what to expect when the Senate begins considering President Bush's nominees to the federal bench. There are 100 vacancies to fill, largely because the Republican- controlled Senate refused to even consider many of President Clinton's nominations. Today's report focuses on the main players. White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales heads a team of young conservative lawyers who are compiling a list of nominees. Republican Sen. Orin Hatch, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the committee, are trying to work out a set of confirmation rules acceptable to senators from both parties.
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