Sen. Brooks Focused on Bench Appointment
Sources tell the Parlor that Sen. Ben Brooks (R - Mobile) is definitely interested in the Circuit Court judgeship vacated by Herman Thomas and doing what he can to secure the appointment. Obstacles stand between him and the position, though they may not be insurmountable.
Can he get the committee to include him among the three names they will recommend to the Governor? And would Republican Governor Bob Riley appoint Brooks, creating an empty Senate seat in one of the most competitive Senate districts in the state?
Brooks is reportedly so focused on the appointment that, if he is recommended as one of the three names by the committee to Governor Riley, Riley may not have an obvious win in the situation. He can appoint Brooks to the bench, and take his chances on the GOP losing the Senate seat (where former state Senator and Democrat Gary Tanner would presumably be the favorite in the early-going). Or he can keep Brooks in the Senate where Brooks may be unhappy and a less-than-solid vote for Riley. An unhappy Republican in the Senate is better for Riley than a Democrat like Tanner, though it’s not a certainty that Tanner would win. And of course, this still carries the caveat that the GOP loss of the seat would be mitigated if the Senate Democratic caucus secures 21 votes without that seat.
One source raised the possibility that, particularly if the Senate seat is crucial to the Democrats’ goal of securing 21 votes, Brooks may be able to extract some promises from the Governor in return for swallowing any disappointment at not getting the appointment.
Related Articles:
[…] If you are interested in the details of the process to fill a vacancy in the office of judge of the circuit court in Mobile County (pertinent to the previous posts on Sen. Ben Brooks’ interest in being appointed to fill the spot), the relevant constitutional amendment can be found here. It’s constitutional amendment number 408 out of (so far) 799. […]
Pingback by On Replacing Judge Herman Thomas » Doc’s Political Parlor — October 4, 2007 @ 8:42 am
[…] Where the two stories may intersect is that Brooks and his supporters may not be able to get past obstacles (some mentioned previously) to get his name strongly considered for the position. In which case, why not focus on a “whetted appetite” for “legislative battle,” as the Times puts it. […]
Pingback by More On Replacing Judge Herman Thomas » Doc’s Political Parlor — October 12, 2007 @ 12:55 pm