To the Point

Judges, Partisan Politics and the 'Nuclear Option'

The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved two of the President's most controversial judicial nominations. On a party-line vote, it sent to the floor the names of State Supreme Court Justices Priscilla Owen of Texas and Janice Rogers Brown of California. If Democrats try to filibuster the appointments, as they did last year, Republicans may try to change the rules of the Senate. That's called the -nuclear option,- because all sides agree it could transform the Senate, replacing reasoned debate with continuous partisan brawling. The showdown could come as early as next week. We explore what that could mean for the President's legislative agenda, the next presidential campaign and the US Supreme Court with journalists, liberals, conservative Christians and legal experts. Making News: Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq A commercial helicopter contracted by the US government was shot down by a missile today north of Baghdad. Eleven people were killed, including six US civilians. Patrick McDonnell, Baghdad Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, has more on today's shooting as well as yesterday's grisly discovery of more than 50 bodies in and around the Tigris River. Reporter's Notebook: New York Stock Exchange to Go Public The New York Stock Exchange is 212 years old, but it's about to undergo historic changes. The NYSE has announced that it's going public, and merging with an electronic-trading company called Archipelago Holdings. David Greising, Chief Business Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, says today's news could portend the death of the trading floor.