Specter’s Party Switch Creates Little Clarity for Judicial, DOJ Nominees

Sen. Arlen Specter's move to the Democratic Party brings his new colleagues a tad closer to controlling 60 seats in the Senate, but it's not clear that his switch will have much effect on the fate of nominees for the federal bench and the DOJ. The Pennsylvanian has vowed not to change his independent approach -- and on Tuesday, true to his word, he said for the first time that he is "opposed" to the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to be assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel.