By AP
Louisville, KY – A group of evangelical religious leaders Sunday called on church goers to help bring an end to the filibuster of federal judicial nominees.
The ministers and religious political activists spoke to an estimated crowd of about 5,000 at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville. They said the senate needs to give President Bush's nominees an up or down vote.
The comments came during a rally called "Justice Sunday", an event organizers say was aimed at getting values voters to pressure the senate into eliminating filibusters of judicial nominees.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, appearing on a videotape broadcast on giant TV screens, says he's considering moving to end the filibuster.
The filibuster is a 200 year old tradition in the senate. It gives 41 of 100 senators the right to hold unlimited debate on a subject. It takes 60 votes to end the debate and hold a vote. Democrats have banded together to block votes on 10 of Bush's nominees, while allowing votes on more than 200 judges.
One of the judges who was blocked, former federal judge Charles Pickering of Mississippi, called the tactic unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, several rallies were staged around Louisville during Sunday afternoon. At one, about 100 protestors sat on the steps of the Jefferson County courthouse as public officials voiced their dissent for the Justice event. They say the filibuster is vital to the American political system