Reid: Senate Will OK Judge Who Wrote Drone Memos

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is predicting approval of one of President Barack Obama's most contentious picks for a federal judgeship.

The Senate plans a crucial procedural vote Wednesday on David Barron. He is a Harvard Law School professor who as a top Justice Department official wrote legal memos justifying the use of drones to kill Americans overseas who are believed to be terrorists.

Some Democrats have been resisting Barron's nomination. They have wanted those legal documents to be released publicly beforehand.

Two administration officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Justice Department won't fight a court order that one such memo be released. That should help Reid, a Nevada Democrat, win crucial Democratic votes.

Republicans solidly oppose Barron.