A decade before activists lined the sidewalks around the Capitol as part of an effort to deny him the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter was faced with a more pressing challenge. In November 1992, the Keystone State Senator barely eked out re-election after feeling an intense backlash over his sharp questioning of Anita Hill in Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court nomination hearings. Then in June 1993, he was diagnosed with a non-malignant tumor that required brain surgery. Just weeks later, he sported a hat, naturally touting the state he represents, as the Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings on the Supreme Court nomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.