Reid gets no movement on federal judicial nominee Cadish

WASHINGTON - Sen. Harry Reid has made his case for the Senate to advance his selection for a Nevada federal judgeship, but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

Reid, the Senate majority leader, presented Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., with editorials from Nevada newspapers supporting a confirmation hearing for Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., is opposing Cadish and has declined to return a "blue slip" that would signal his permission for the committee to hold a hearing and consider the nominee. Leahy's practice has been to require the green light from both home state senators to proceed, effectively giving Heller a veto over the nomination.

Reid earlier this week described Leahy as a Senate traditionalist and said he doubted the chairman would bend. After their meeting, Leahy spokeswoman Erica Chabot indicated Leahy intends to continue his practice. "Senator Leahy's policy as chairman of the Judiciary Committee has been to honor blue slips and protect the rights of all senators," Chabot said in an emailed statement.

Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said it was unclear when in the past day or so the senators discussed Cadish. Reid and Leahy were in regular contact this week while Leahy was managing the Senate's consideration of a bill reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

Cadish, selected by Reid and nominated in February by President Barack Obama to a Nevada federal judgeship, remains in limbo. Reid has said he does not plan to ask her to withdraw while Heller has said he will continue to block her after questions were raised last month over her views on Second Amendment protections of gun rights.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association applauded Heller's stand against Cadish, who wrote on a 2008 questionnaire she did not believe individuals have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Asked about the questionnaire last month when the Senate began to review her record, she said she was not giving her personal opinion but rather was commenting on what she said was unsettled law at the time, before the U.S. Supreme Court issued major rulings on gun rights in 2008 and 2010.

"While she has more recently tried to backtrack from that (2008) statement, her 'new' position is of little comfort to gun owners," NRA Executive Director Chris Cox said in a letter Wednesday to Heller.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.