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Weather Delays Vote on Contentious DOJ Nominee

A woman entering Rayburn last week. More snow is forecast (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
A woman entering Rayburn last week. More snow is forecast (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Updated, 4:35 p.m. | Weather is once again wreaking havoc on the Senate schedule.  

The Senate will delay a contentious Monday evening vote on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Debo P. Adegbile to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division thanks to an oncoming winter storm.  

That nomination has proven particularly contentious  due to Adegbile’s involvement in the legal representation of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted back in 1982 of murdering a Philadelphia police officer.  

Senators had been scheduled to hold a cloture vote to limit debate on the nomination. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had also lined up votes on other Obama nominees. The National Weather Service has posted a winter storm watch  for Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area that’s in effect for most of the day on Monday.  

So all votes will be postponed until noon on Tuesday, according to a senior Democratic aide. That means the key vote should take place just before the weekly caucus lunches.  

Forecasters are calling for a mix of precipitation including snow, sleet and freezing rain. The Weather Service says five or more inches of snow could fall within the forecast region.  

The caption on this photo was corrected. The woman pictured is not a staffer.

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