Washington, DC

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jim Thomas

703-287-8753 (Voice)

703-783-0083 (Fax)

haggler@erols.com

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www.jimthomas.info

The Filibuster Deal – Did the Dems Get Hosed?

Negotiating Author/Expert Available for Interviews

WASHINGTON, DC (June 8, 2005)—When Democrats and Republicans hammered out a compromise on judicial nominations last month, popular wisdom was that the Democrats got the better end of the deal. Majority Leader Bill Frist, one of the "Gang of 14" senators who negotiated the deal, was singled out for sharp criticism by conservative commentators.

But now that the Senate is likely to confirm several of the conservative Bush nominees that they had blocked for years, many Senate Democrats are wondering if the filibuster deal left them holding the short end of the stick.

California Supreme Court justice Janice Rogers Brown will likely be confirmed today to the prestigious U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and a number of other conservative nominees are in the wings. The compromise deal left open the critical issue of whether Democrats will be able to filibuster conservative nominees to the Supreme Court.

"This is a classic example of the dangers of hurried, last-minute compromises," says Washington, DC attorney Jim Thomas, author of the forthcoming HarperCollins book, Negotiate to Win. "The Democrats paid a very high price to stop Frist's proposed rule change banning judicial filibusters. If the deal holds together, the price may well be the appointment of a large number of judges who are outside of the political mainstream"

Contact Information:

To arrange an interview with Jim Thomas or to obtain a review copy of the book, contact Common Ground at 703-287-8753 or email haggler@erols.com. See online press information at www.commongroundseminars.com and www.jimthomas.info.

END

James Thomas

Founder and Principal

Common Ground

McLean, VA

703-287-8753

703-783-0083

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