Good afternoon .. .
Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty today to all six counts of the indictment against him. Moussaoui is the only person convicted in the al-Qaida led attacks on September 11, 2001.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkmea accepted the plea from the French citizen making him eligible for the death penalty.
During the proceeding Judge Brinkmea asked Moussaoui how he plead to each count of the indictment. To each count he replied, "Guilty."
Earlier in the day, Moussaoui's attorneys filed a brief stating that he was not competent to enter a plea. Judge Brinkmea denied the motion.
The penalty phase of the trial will follow where a jury will decide on a sentence. No date has been set for a hearing.
Moussaoui Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges - Yahoo! News
--
Vice President Cheney has stepped into the fight over changing Senate rules to stop filibusters on judicial nominees.
In a speech to the Republican National Lawyers Association, Cheney said he would vote in the Senate to stop filibusters if given the chance.
The Republicans currently hold 55 seats in the 100 member body, and the vice president would only vote if there was a tie.
"There is no justification for allowing the blocking of nominees who are well qualified and broadly supported," Cheney said. "The tactics of the last few years, I believe, are inexcusable, particularly when you are dealing with men and women of the caliber of those nominated by George W. Bush. By any standard of judicial merit, they are fully qualified to serve and by any standard of fairness, they deserve a vote in the United States Senate."
Democrats say it is Cheney who is trying to reinvent Senate history by changing the filibuster
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said that Cheney's statement demonstrates that the President is no longer willing to work with Democrats on judicial nominees.
Mr. Reid, the President does not need to work with you on any nomination judicial or otherwise. The Senate's role is to "advise and consent" on the nominee by providing him or her with an up or down vote of the Senate floor. By using the filibuster you are denying the nominee an opportunity. If you do not like a nominee vote against them, but give them the opportunity for a vote. With a clear majority in the Senate, Democrats fear a "radical" judiciary. The only "radical" federal court is the Democrat/liberal dominated US 9th Circuit in California. The 9th Circuit is the most overturned District Court in the country.Cheney Warns Dems on Judicial Filibusters - Yahoo! News
--
More on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment