Because the two chambers are in session, President Obama has no chance to make recess appointments of controversial nominees.

And Senate Republicans have rushed through the procedures on controversial nominees.

However, none of the highly controversial nominees made the final official list.

Matthews was a controversial nominee, and as the nomination came near the end of Hayes's term, the Senate did not act on it.

Most new Presidents would have chosen a less controversial - and less capable - nominee.

While the advice carries no legal weight, it has vast power to shape public opinion and political support for especially controversial nominees.

He was a controversial nominee from the beginning.

For the post to lead Brazil's national development bank, he supported a controversial nominee whose ideas recalled the days when protectionism was fashionable.

The four most controversial nominees that President Bush resubmitted are ideological in the extreme.

To up the public-relations quotient, there may be calls for votes on three controversial female nominees.