Snags and Sharp Questions for Chatigny

 WASHINGTON-As the clock runs out on Congress' lame duck session, the fate of a controversial Connecticut judicial nominee, Robert Chatigny, appears increasingly in doubt. His nomination remains in limbo even though the court he hopes to join is operating under a "judicial emergency," with three long-pending vacanies waiting to be filled.

Chatigny, now a District Court judge in Hartford, was first nominated nine months ago for a seat on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. In a blistering statement on Friday, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat decried the legislative gridlock that has stalled 20 judicial nominees, citing Chatigny's name among others.

But one day earlier, the committee skipped over Chatigny's contentious nomination. The judge's name was at the top of the panel's agenda last Thursday, but Democrats swept by him to tackle a gamut of other legislative business.

The Senate could still confirm Chatigny when lawmakers return after this week's Thanksgiving break. But the decision by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the committee's chairman, to pass over Chatigny last week has dimmed the judge's prospects for a promotion to the region's court of appeals.

In the meantime, the 2nd Circuit is currently operating with three of its judicial slots empty; each has been vacant for more than 400 days. The judicial emergency designation by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts essentially means the court's current roster of judges have too many cases to wade through.

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