The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed U Law Professor Paul Cassell’s nomination for a U.S. district judgeship Thursday.
“I can give you one bland sentence about how I’m very happy that the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved my nomination and I hope the whole Senate will approve it as well,” Cassell told The Chronicle.
With a recommendation from Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, President Bush nominated Cassell last summer. The Senate’s acting on Cassell’s and other judicial nominations were slowed by the Senate’s shift of power from Republican to Democratic control and the events surrounding Sept. 11.
Although the committee approved him, four Democratic senators voted against the conservative candidate.
Cassell is famous for challenging the longstanding requirements surrounding the Miranda rights which police are required to give when arresting suspects. Cassell argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that confessions given by suspects who didn’t get their “right to remain silent” should not be thrown out.
Cassell has also fought for compensation of victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and a victims’ rights amendment.
After these kinds of actions move out of committee, the Senate acts on them pretty quickly, Cassell said, expecting he will know if he’ll become a federal judge within a week or two.
If he becomes a judge, Cassell hopes to retain a presence?albeit diminished?on campus.
“I will attempt to continue to retain an affiliation with the law school,” he said, noting he wants to teach a seminar on crime victims’ rights next spring.