USVI: Curtis Gomez before the Senate

Curtis Gomez, President Bush's nominee to sit on the District Court bench for St. Thomas-St. John, appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as part of his confirmation process.

During the 45-minute hearing, the committee took testimony from Gomez but did not vote on his nomination. A vote likely will not come until the Senate returns from its Easter recess. Before Gomez's nomination can go to the full Senate for a vote, the final step in the confirmation process, the Judiciary Committee must approve him.

His nomination is expected to meet little resistance.

Gomez, along with two other federal judicial nominees, faced light questioning from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Graham asked all the nominees to explain their views on strict construction of the law.

"I believe," Gomez said, "in looking to the four corners of the document for the plain meaning of the statute." Gomez is a registered Republican.

Gomez is a strict constructionist, like Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and as are Janice Owens Rogers, Miguel Estrada, Charles Pickering, and others that GWB has nominated to the bench. Will his nomination meet little resistance? Time alone will tell. However, Gomez, as the picture shows, is a two-fer. He might be too much for the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to resist.