"Not backing down... President Obama has formally renominated five judges whose candidacies were previously derailed by Senate Republicans."

Sam Stein reports. (Is "reports' the right word?)

Obama's decision to renominate these figures demonstrates that the White House is not just willing, but eager to spotlight the remarkably slow pace of its judicial confirmations...

The administration has been left largely powerless to move Senate Republicans, save for somewhat-idle threats to keep Congress in session while individual nominations are debated. But they are finding more and more allies in their frustration from prominent judicial and political figures. On Monday, the American Constitution Society began circulating a letter signed by a group of former federal court judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, urging the Senate to take immediate action on languishing nominations.

Former federal court judges appointed by... Republican presidents? Surely, this is impressively neutral support for the President...  or so I will believe when we have a Republican President facing foot-dragging Democratic Senators and there's an equivalent letter signed by former federal court judges appointed by  Democratic Presidents.