While nominating him, they also decided to review the nomination process, suggesting they would try to claw back their prerogatives from the parliament.
This message will be read and carefully considered by those who review the nomination before they cast their vote on whether to delete the article or not.
The elder Mr. Thurmond, 98, is the oldest and longest-serving senator and the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would review the nomination.
"My guess is he'll be confirmed," said Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware and a member of the Judiciary Committee, which will review the nomination.
Congressional officials said that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which must review the nomination, had no evidence to substantiate the allegations contained in the anonymous letter.
Today's release also states that "[t]he AAAS Council Subcommittee on Fellows, which is empowered to review the nomination and election process, is also considering changes to the Fellow review process for subsequent nominations".
The BBC will review the nomination process for next year's Sports Personality of the Year award after no women made it on to the 10-person shortlist for this year's event.
A committee will review the nominations and decide which should be on the trail.
He and other committee members said, however, that they had not reviewed the nomination, which was formally submitted only today.
Among the 11 were two Republican members of the Judiciary Committee, which was reviewing the nomination, and an influential centrist Democrat.
A Democratic Senate aide said today that Democrats on the environmental committee first reviewing the nomination could boycott the committee, denying the members a quorum.
