senate judiciary committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee hears testimony Wednesday on a bill that would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and, for the first time, give federal benefits to same-sex couples who marry.

Even in states where gay marriage is legal, federal benefits are denied.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court fell on strict party lines ... except for Sen.

Lindsey Graham.  The South Carolina Republican voted in her favor.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee votes Tuesday on the nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the U.S.

Supreme Court, a vote that is assured of passing.  GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, hasn't ruled out a filibuster.

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Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will get their first chance Tuesday to question Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan about her approach to the law and a host of issues that have long divided the major political parties.

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Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee used a confirmation vote on a controversial court nominee to lament that the latest nominee to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, has not left much of a paper trail.

They said they'd be demanding White House documents from her years in the counsel's office. The committee approved the nomination of liberal judge Goodwin Liu to a California appeals court in a strict party-line vote, 12-7.

Even South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham called Liu "a bridge too far."

Elena Kagan, tapped by President Obama on Monday to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, now heads into the confirmation process.

But -- she has little for the Senate Judiciary Committee to scrutinize. She has never served as a judge, and the collection of her academic writings is slim.

This absence of material leaves liberals, like University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos, worried about where she will stand on the key issues expected to come before the court in the coming years.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing Friday on Goodwin Liu, President Obama's nominee for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Liu is considered a leading liberal scholar. His lengthy paper trail has galvanized conservative opposition to his nomination.

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Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that a decision on a venue to try Sept. 11 terrorism suspects hasn't been finalized, though Manhattan is still a possibility.

Lawmakers also tried to get him to say when Guantanamo Bay would be closed.

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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has had a tense relationship with the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it seems to be getting worse.

Republican Senators have attacked Holder for failing to disclose that he signed onto a Supreme Court brief in the case of an American who was held as an enemy combatant during the Bush administration.

Holder testifies before the committee on Wednesday.

This week, Attorney General Eric Holder has been dealing with attacks from Republicans about his handling of terrorism detainees.

In addition, the conservative National Review magazine unearthed a Supreme Court brief that Holder did not tell Congress about during his confirmation process.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican said Holder must address the issue immediately. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with NPR's Ari Shapiro.