Tracking Supreme Court Nomination Votes in the U.S. Senate, 1789-Present

The U.S. Senate has a site which tracks all votes on Supreme Court nominations from 1789 to the present day. The site contains a bevy of information and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.

Neither of George W. Bush's nominees coasted to the bench and faced similar criticisms from the Democrats:

Alito's vote total: 58-42

Roberts' vote total: 78-22

Bill Clinton's nominees faced little opposition:

Breyer's vote total: 87-9

Ginsberg's vote total: 96-3

George H.W. Bush had a mixed record. Souter was a slam dunk; Thomas squeaked by:

Thomas' vote totals: 52-48

Souter's vote totals: 90-9

Reagan was 4-1 as Bork went down to defeat, the last time a nominee failed in a U.S. Senate vote:

Kennedy's vote totals: 97-0

Bork's vote totals: 42-58

Scalia's vote totals: 98-0

O'Connor's vote totals: 99-0

Rehnquist's vote totals for elevation to chief justice: 65-33

I really do think the political environment has changed. Scalia and Ginsberg combine for a 194-3 vote? Can you imagine either justice sailing though in the 21st century? Ideology is now used as a litmus test. It shouldn't be.

The Uh-Oath

Like most Americans, I knew something wasn't quite right as soon as it started. Chief Justice John Roberts and President-elect Barack Obama, both novices in this whole enterprise, did not quite mesh in the ritual dance known as the Oath of Office. President Obama jumped the gun a bit and Chief Justice Roberts completely flubbed the first line of the oath. If they get to repeat the act four years from now, I suggest that the Chief Justice read from the Constitution and not try to recite it from memory.

UPDATE: President Obama and Chief Justice Roberts redid the oath of office on January 21, just to be sure. There were no slip ups this time, except for not letting the TV networks or media photographers capture it...