Senate Democrats Agree to Seat Burris as Illinois Senator

Roland Burris, former state Attorney General, will be seated as the successor to President-elect Obama, as the new junior Senator from Illinois.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - Just days after the vote to impeach Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, his choice for the Senate seat formerly held by President-elect Barack Obama, has been approved by Senate Democrats. Roland Burris, the former Attorney General of Illinois, will most likely be sworn in later this week, barring any objections from Republicans.

It was only last week that Harry Reid and his fellow Dems refused to accept Burris' credentials, taking a lot of heat for the manner in which they handled the situation. Early indications that the tide was turning in favor of seating to new junior lawmaker came as Senator Diane Feinstein broke ranks from her constituents and favored seating him.

Legal analysts, however, had maintained across the board that, though the governor is under scrutiny, he is still legally in office and has the authority to make such an appointment.

Burris told reporters Monday that he was honored and humbled by the appointment.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve," he stated at a press conference in Chicago. "I recognize that my appointment triggered a challenging time for many."

In a joint statement on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said, "He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect."

Last week the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the appointment, stating that his paperwork was totally in order and conformed to Illinois state law. State Republicans had maintained all along that, due to the state of the governorship, a special election should have taken place. They also indicated that the Democrats' refusal to agree to such a measure was largely due to the fear that a Republican could have been elected.

After carefully reviewing Burris' credentials on Monday, the joint statement from Reid and Durbin was issued.

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