Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to ram through Halligan’s confirmation on Tuesday afternoon. In a procedural maneuver known as a “cloture vote,” Reid needed 60 votes to move the nomination forward for a final vote, but was defeated 54-45.

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The response of Gun Owners of America members to Monday’s alert was overwhelming and played an important role in defeating the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan, a judicial nominee with a history of anti-gun activism.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to ram through Halligan’s confirmation on Tuesday afternoon.  In a procedural maneuver known as a “cloture vote,” Reid needed 60 votes to move the nomination forward for a final vote, but was defeated 54-45.

Halligan, a former solicitor general in New York, was a leading advocate for bankrupting the firearms industry through the use of frivolous lawsuits.

Her confirmation to the D.C. Court of Appeals, commonly referred to as the second most important court in the country, would have been particularly troubling because that court is often viewed as a steppingstone to the U.S. Supreme Court.  If a seat were to open up on the High Court next year, President Obama would have been able to call on the Senate to simply approve Halligan once more.

Gun Owners of America briefed Senate offices right up to the time of the vote of the danger of confirming Halligan.

All Republicans voted against Halligan except for Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted in favor of the nominee, and Orrin Hatch of Utah, who voted Present.  Every Democrat voted in lock-step with Obama and Reid.