Cochran’s plea aims to shame Dems who oppose Southwick nomination

The Clarion-Ledger, 7/20/7

Sen. Thad Cochran gave an impassioned plea on the Senate floor Thursday aimed at shaming Democrats who oppose the nomination of Mississippi Judge Leslie Southwick to a federal appeals court.

Cochran, a Republican, said he is “deeply disappointed” by the objection of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats to Southwick’s nomination to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Democratic opposition is likely to doom the nomination.

“He’s fair and thoughtful and would be an excellent Court of Appeals judge,” Cochran said of Southwick, who served about a dozen years on the Mississippi Court of Appeals before retiring.