ABA Switch: Bryant Now Rated Qualified

The Hartford Courant is reporting that a "substantial minority" of a newly constituted American Bar Association panel has found Superior Court Judge Vanessa Bryant "qualified" to be a U.S. District Court Judge. A "minority of the committee" believes Judge Bryant is "not qualified."

On May 5, 2006, we reported:

"A majority of the committee is of the opinion that Vanessa L. Bryant is not qualified for appointment as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut," Stephen L. Tober, chairman of the ABA Committee on the Federal Judiciary, wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Given the fact that ALL politicians involved in the process (Sens. Dodd and Lieberman, Governor Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal) have continued to press the nomination despite a finding of "unqualified" by both the ABA and the CT Bar Association it's tempting to say that politics is the explanation for the ABA's change of heart. (Despite those evaluations, Judge Bryant was recently confirmed unanimously for a fresh eight year term on the state bench.)

However, the Courant reports:

Roberta D. Liebenberg, the committee chairwoman, said the panel regularly conducts a supplemental evaluation for nominees whose names were withdrawn from consideration. President Bush renominated Bryant in January."This is not something that is out of the ordinary. This is something that is consistent with our standardized procedures," she said. About half of the committee members who reconsidered Bryant's nomination are new to the panel, Liebenberg said.

Whatever the reason for the change, it's pretty clear that Judge Bryant will soon be ascending to the federal bench in Hartford.