(2003-11-08) -- A Federal judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an injunction blocking a planned Senate debate marathon which Republicans have scheduled to focus attention on the Democrats efforts to block approval of President Bush's judicial nominees.

In a three-page ruling, the unnamed judge, a Clinton apppointee, wrote, "Senate Republicans have overstepped their bounds by trying to force an up-or-down vote on Mr. Bush's nominees. The role of the Senate in judicial nominations is advice and consent. Since there's no way that the Democrats will give consent to such conservative nominees, then the Republicans must settle for giving advice to Mr. Bush, such as 'Why don't you nominate some liberal judges?'"

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, said, "What can we do? The judiciary is sovereign in our system of government. The Republican-controlled Senate can only do as much as the most liberal federal judge allows us to."