WASHINGTON (CNN) — Arlen Specter was in the driver's seat when the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled the two newest Supreme Court justices back in 2005, but the Pennsylvania senator won't be front and center next time. Specter jumped from the Republican party to the Democratic party last week, putting the Democrats within reach of a 60-seat "supermajority" that could make it all but impossible for Republicans to block Democratic legislation.
On Tuesday the Senate confirmed that the party switch dropped him to the bottom of the heap in terms of seniority.
That means he will be the very last to speak when the Judiciary Committee questions President Barack Obama's yet-to-be-named nominee to replace Justice
David Souter — after even Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware, who has been a senator for all of four months.
In fact, only two of the 18 other senators on the committee have been in the upper house longer than Specter — and he has been in the Senate longer than seven other committee members put together.
But there is more at stake than Specter's ego or bragging rights. - CNN
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