Washington D.C., May 25, 2005 / 22:00 pm
On a 56-43 vote, the Senate has confirmed Pricilla Owens, a Texas Sunday school teacher, to a spot on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Owens, who has been widely backed by pro-life groups, is the first of President Bush’s pro-life judicial picks to be confirmed.
On Monday, the Senate narrowly avoided a threat of Democrat filibustering of all of Bush’s judicial nominees, barring them from receiving an up or down vote. A deal however, was reached, which allowed three of the five nominees to receive a vote.
The Senate now looks to vote on William Pryor for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and Janice Rogers Brown for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Both, like Owens, are seen as strong pro-life advocates.