IT: ⚖️ Confirming Biden's batch of judicial nominees, and... Should the U.S. reauthorize military force in Iraq?

Welcome to Thursday, June 17th, pitchers and belly-itchers...

Today, the House is expected to vote on a bill to repeal the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force.

House Bill H.R. 256 would repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, which has been used to authorize military force against Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda, ISIS, militias, and Iranian forces attacking U.S. personnel in Iraq.

Those in favor of a repeal argue it’s long past time for Congress to reclaim its constitutional war powers. Allowing the AUMF to remain in effect would be dangerous and irresponsible, as it allows U.S. military operations in the Middle East to continue indefinitely.

Those opposed say repealing without a replacement would be a grave mistake. Prohibiting the use of American military force in Iraq would give free rein to ISIS and Iran-backed proxies while creating a vacuum that could destabilize Iraq and the broader Middle East.

Should the AUMF in Iraq be repealed?

Oh Say Can You Sea?

The Biden Batch

Over the last few weeks, the Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s first batch of nominees to the federal bench, including an appellate judge who is widely considered to be on the Democratic president’s Supreme Court shortlist and a trio of district court judges.

The confirmation of Biden’s first judicial nominee occurred on Tuesday, June 8th, when the Senate confirmed Julien Neals to serve as a judge on the federal district court for the District of New Jersey on a bipartisan 66-33 vote. 

The Senate started this week by elevating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson from the federal District Court for the District of Columbia to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on a 53-44 vote in which three Republican senators joined Democrats by voting in favor. GOP senators opposed to her nomination expressed unease with her liberal jurisprudence at the district court level.

Biden released a statement praising the confirmation votes:

“I look forward to continuing to make nominations at an historic pace and working closely with the Senate on many more confirmations.”

How do you feel about the confirmation of Biden’s first batch of judicial nominees?

All the Memes Fit to Post

And, in the End…

On this date in 1862, Congress authorized President Abraham Lincoln to accept African Americans into the Union Army.

Keep fighting for what's right,

—Josh Herman

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