Senate One Step Closer to Going Nuclear

The U.S. Senate began formal debate Wednesday on Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen's nomination for a federal appeals court seat, moving the chamber a step closer to a historic vote on the future of the judicial filibuster. The long-anticipated floor debate is a prologue to efforts by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to invoke the "nuclear option," a maneuver that, if successful, would subsequently preclude all filibusters of federal circuit court and Supreme Court nominees.

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