Pryor approved by Senate Judiciary Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send Bill Pryor’s nomination to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to the Senate floor this afternoon. The final vote was 10 to 9 — 10 Republicans voting for him and 9 Dems voting against him.

Specter, the “undecided” vote, joined with the Republicans today, but refused to say if he’d vote for Pryor when a vote is held on the Senate floor.

In a clever, last-minute move, committee Dems called for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to recuse himself from the vote because Cornyn was involved in the same questionable fundraising controversy as Pryor. Predictably, however, Cornyn refused to do so.

Expect a filibuster.