Yesterday, more than three months after a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Andrew Hurwitz to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Senate Republican filibuster was finally ended in a 60-31 cloture vote. Today, the Senate voted to confirm him, and the method of the confirmation shows how without principle the obstruction has been.

Hurwitz was confirmed by voice vote, the method generally used to show overwhelming support. Contentious issues of importance are generally done by roll call vote, so each senator can have their position formally on record. So after blocking a highly qualified state supreme court justice with bipartisan support for three months and claiming that he is unqualified to be a district court judge, Senate Republicans decided that it wasn’t important enough to cast a vote against his confirmation.

Perhaps they want to devote their energies to blocking the 17 other qualified nominees waiting for a floor vote.