Lack of quorum delays Tolman vote

WASHINGTON — Brett Tolman will have to wait a little longer for the Senate to vote on his nomination to become the U.S. district attorneyy for Utah.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., had to stop a business meeting Thursday due to lack of quorum of members present to vote on Tolman's nomination and a host of other items on Thursday's agenda.

"If you want to be on the committee, you ought to come to the sessions," said a frustrated Specter on Thursday. "It's more than rude, it's a waste of our time, and we don't have the time to waste."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a former chairman of the committee, was present at the meeting. The nomination will likely come up again at the committee's next legislative meetings, which are typically held on Thursdays.

Tolman, a Provo native, is now the committee's counsel for crime and terrorism. The White House nominated him to be Utah's U.S. District Attorney earlier this month.

The Judiciary Committee needs to approve his nomination before it can move to the Senate floor for a full vote. If confirmed by the Senate, Tolman would serve a four-year term. He would replace Paul Warner, a Clinton appointee who served 7 1/2 years in both Democrat and Republican administrations. Warner stepped down in late January to become a U.S. magistrate in Utah.