For the second time, President Obama's nominee for the Northern District of California, Magistrate Edward Chen, has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee by a party line vote of 12-7. If you'll remember, Chen's nomination has been stalled by Republicans who have criticized Chen for his public statements and background as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. From an editorial in the San Francisco Gate:

The big election to fill the remainder of Senator Ted Kennedy's term is this Tuesday. Polls have shown the Republicans with a strong shot of taking this Senate seat. Representing the Democrats is the State's Attorney General Martha Coakley. In December, her campaign (as well as the other three Democrats in the primary) answered questions posed by APAP-Boston's Michelle Wu. For your convenience, we are reprinting Martha Coakley's answers. If you are Massachusetts, make sure to get out the vote and spread the word.

Great news for advocates of increased Native Hawaiian rights. The Indian Affairs Committee of the United States Senate has unanimously passed legislation to let native Hawaiians establish their own government. The new government would operate much like those formed by Indian tribes. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka who has authored similar legislation during previous congressional sessions, but has yet to get the measure passed by the full Senate. Here is the press release:

Just got this email from former member of the Michigan State House of Representatives, Hoon-Yung Hopgood. Hopgood, the state's first Korean American elected to the House, is throwing his hat in the ring for the state's Senate. According to Wikipedia: