By Keith Perine, CQ Staff

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy has rejected another confirmation hearing on 7th Circuit Court nominee David F. Hamilton.

The Vermont Democrat made his position clear in an exchange of letters with ranking Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania that has laid bare the mounting tension between the two lawmakers over the confirmation process.

Leahy held a hearing April 1 on Hamilton. Republicans boycotted except for a brief appearance by Specter to protest the rapid pace on Hamilton, an Indiana judge President Obama nominated March 17.

But the day before, Republican committee members wrote Leahy requesting another hearing. They cited a Senate rule that provides under some circumstances for the minority to call witnesses for follow-on hearings.

In an April 2 reply, Leahy said he was “confused” by the GOP invocation of the rule and noted that the committee has bent it for Supreme Court and attorney general confirmations, and for nominees rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association.

“It seems you are, instead, demanding that you be allowed to call Judge Hamilton as a witness,” Leahy wrote. “But that makes no sense since he appeared as a witness.”

The letters marked the second testy exchange of correspondence between the two on the subject. On March 24, Specter asked Leahy not to schedule the hearing before the recess. “Pat — if you insist on this schedule for Hamilton, you will (be) starting on the first (President) Obama nomination in a very contentious manner which will provoke opposition and prove counter productive,” Specter scrawled next to his signature.

Leahy replied on March 2, saying he felt it “important to proceed” with the two-week recess approaching. In his own handwritten postscript, Leahy wrote “We have a lot ahead of us — I’ve delayed many items at Republican requests only to have new and artificial delays made. It’s frustrating.”