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Senate posturing vs. State sovereignty
The Moderate Voice — ... Constitutionally, it does not matter what Harry Reid or the other 49 members of the Democratic Caucus wants. I researched the Senate Rules for appointment to the body and it does not stipulate that the Senate can deny the right of the state to seat its’ own chosen representative. The Great Compromise of 1787 was the agreement that allowed the state legislative body (or Governor) to appoint the members of the upper house of the Congress. ...

Looking Ahead to a Constitutional Crisis
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... I’ve spoken with a Senate source regarding the process by which Roland Burris will (or won’t) be seated in the U.S. Senate. First off, have a look at Rule 2 of the Senate: ...

Is Harry Reid Bluffing?
Weekly Standard Blog — ... So while Reid has threatened to deny Burris the seat, Supreme Court jurisprudence forbids him from doing so. Can he prevent Burris' credentials from coming before the Senate? It seems unlikely. Senate Rule II makes this a question of privilege--one which can be raised by any Senator at more or less any time: ...

Blagojevich v. The Senate: Going To The Mat
Swampland — ... The first thing the Senate leadership plans to do is to demand, under Rule 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a certificate containing "the name of the person elected or appointed, the date of the certificate, the name of the governor and the secretary of state signing and countersigning the same, and the State from which such Senator is elected or appointed." ...

A Roland Burris Disqualification Showdown Scenario - A Senate Validity Resolution?
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — ... The first thing the Senate leadership plans to do is to demand, under Rule 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a certificate containing “the name of the person elected or appointed, the date of the certificate, the name of the governor and the secretary of state signing and countersigning the same, and the State from which such Senator is elected or appointed.” ...

Cornyn Uses Reid’s Burris Tactics to Refuse Seating Franken
Firedoglake — ... The first thing the Senate leadership plans to do is to demand, under Rule 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a certificate containing "the name of the person elected or appointed, the date of the certificate, the name of the governor and the secretary of state signing and countersigning the same, and the State from which such Senator is elected or appointed." ...

Meanwhile, Jesse White Tumbles
Daily Kos — ... absolutely correct," he said. "It's ugly." "I think the world of Roland Burris," he said. "We're the best of friends." "Roland Burris is going to be seated," he predicted, saying he hopes Burris becomes the next senator from Illinois. As you know, it was the absence of White's signature that led the Secretary of the Senate to block Burris' appointment yesterday before it could reach the Senate floor.  This controversy rests on Senate Standing Rule II, which states in the relevant parts: The ...

Worst Bluff Ever
Wizbang — Harry Reid folded his hand today in the worst political bluff in recent memory. Nevadans everywhere must be personally insulted that their own U S Senator can't play poker better than an arrested and handcuffed Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Resolutely standing athwart Senate Rule 2 , Reid brazenly challenged the appointment of Roland Burris, the Constitution of the United States, ...

IL-SCT: White Doesn't Have To Sign Burris Certificate
Daily Kos — ... In their pleadings, Petitioners suggest that the United States Senate has taken the view that the Governor’s signed, hand-delivered certificate of appointment is insufficient to meet the requirements of the Senate’s own internal rules. We note, however, that nothing in the published rules of the Senate, including Rule II, appears to require that Senate appointments made by state executives pursuant to the seventeenth amendment must be signed and sealed by the state’s secretary of state. Moreover, no explanation has been given as to how any rule of the Senate, ...

Obama’s Senate seat to stay vacant
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... , the court found that Senate Rule II, the rule that Reid and Durbin cited as justification for the Democrat’s refusal to seat Senator Burris, is merely a recommendation, not a requirement the “Senate cannot waive”: ...