Pres. Clinton plans to nominate as a federal judge a Utah Republican who is bitterly opposed by environmental groups, administration sources said last week. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been pushing the nomination, and Clinton agreed to it so that Hatch would end his months-long blockade of the president’s other judicial nominees. Stewart, who once headed the Utah Natural Resources Department, has been a vocal critic of Clinton’s land-use policies and politics. He now serves as chief of staff to Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R). Enviros will wage an intense campaign to block Stewart’s nomination.
