A push to confirm two of President George W. Bush's choices to be federal judges has revived the possibility of a Senate showdown over judicial nominations.

A clash over judges tied the Senate in knots last year, when Democrats threatened a "filibuster" to block their confirmation and Republicans said they would retaliate by changing the rules to curtail the rights of the minority party. A partisan standoff was averted last May with a last-minute deal brokered by the so-called "Gang of 14", made up of seven senators from each party.