This is what happens when you’re a judicial nominee during this session of Congress, widely considered one of the most partisan ever: Rumors about your impending confirmation vote don’t come true. Co-workers and friends keep asking why the holdup. You have no good answers.

You remind yourself that, hey, your existing job isn’t too bad after all. You start watching C-SPAN. A lot. You wonder when to sell your home, and where to enroll your children in school. Despair sets in.