Legal Beat

After spending June and July on Sonia Sotomayor's successful nomination to the Supreme Court, the Senate Judiciary Committee will resume processing lower court nominations in earnest this week.

On Wednesday, the committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing for 3rd Circuit nominee Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., of New Jersey; and district court nominees Roberto A. Lange of South Dakota, Irene Cornelia Berger of West Virginia and Charlene Edwards Honeywell of Florida.

The next day, the committee is scheduled to vote on the nominations of Beverly Baldwin Martin of Georgia for the 11th Circuit, and Jeffrey L. Viken to be a South Dakota district judge. The committee held a confirmation hearing for Martin and Viken on July 29, the day after it voted to approve Sotomayor's nomination. Georgia Republicans Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson both testified in favor of Martin's nomination.

Nevertheless, committee Republicans are expected to postpone consideration of the Martin and Viken nominations for a week, as provided for under committee rules.