Sen Feinstein to take over Senate Judiciary Committee

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is poised to take over as chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, shifting the leadership of the partisan panel in charge of judicial nominations to the center.

She will have primary jurisdiction over two of the biggest issues Congress will tackle next year: immigration reform and gun control. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is expected to take over the Senate Appropriations Committee following the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). As of Tuesday afternoon, Leahy had not yet made up his mind whether he would take the Appropriations gavel. He told reporters he would announce a decision within 24 hours. Unlike many of her Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary panel, Sen Feinstein is not a lawyer and does not have as cozy a relationship with the powerful trial-attorney lobby. She supported a bill to limit liability in the run-up to 2000, when experts warned the turn of the millennium would create information-technology chaos. Trial lawyers opposed the measure.

If Sen Feinstein takes over as the next chairwoman of the Judiciary panel, she would have to step down as head of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has the opportunity to replace Feinstein as Intelligence chairman, but he could choose to instead chair the Energy and Natural Resources panel, which is an important committee for his home state, where the timber industry is a major employer. If Sen Wyden sticks with the Energy chairmanship, that would give Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) a chance to succeed Sen Feinstein as Intelligence Committee chairwoman. She would make cybersecurity one of her priorities as head of the Intelligence Committee.