The difficulties over Michael Boggs’ confirmation in the Senate have been made worse by the Democrats’ filibuster reform

Last year Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, forced the removal of the filibuster for judicial nominations except to the Supreme Court. This move may now be a headache for Reid and the Democratic Party, as the Senate considers President Obama’s nomination of Michael Boggs for the Georgia judiciary. Lauren C. Bell writes that Boggs’ nomination, vehemently opposed by many Democrats, due to his voting record as a state legislator, is part of an agreement with with the GOP to allow a vote on an appeals court nominee opposed by Republicans. She writes that despite many Democrats’ opposition to Boggs, the new filibuster rules mean that his confirmation may only require the votes of a small number of their colleagues who want to see their own nominees pushed through.