As many Minnesota Litigator readers know, the confirmation of U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Richard Nelson (D. Minn.) as district court judge for the U.S. District Court for the district of Minnesota is being held up by the Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, those being considered for her U.S. Magistrate Judge position must bide their time. Mag. Judge Nelson is not alone. President Obama is stymied and can only seek to leverage the Republican-caused backlog in the court of public opinion.