The current chair of the Senate Judiciary panel - Democrat Patrick Leahy - says he will do all he can to make sure a new justice is confirmed by the time the Supreme Court reconvenes on October 5.

VOA: standard.2009.05.03

The long-serving Republican incumbent there lost in an extremely close vote to Democrat Patrick Murphy.

NPR: Patrick Murphy: From Iraq War to Congress

Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, who's served with Kennedy in the Senate for more than 30 years, looked shaken after consulting with his wife, a nurse.

NPR: Kennedy's Illness Casts Pall over Congress

But LaBella offered a kinder assessment of the choices made by Reno when pressed by Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, who acted as the subcommittee's ranking member for the proceedings.

CNN: LaBella Senate appearance yields casual chat, no new campaign finance information