Approaching ramming speed: Senate Judiciary Committee advances 17 judicial nominees
Numerous non-judicial nominees also advanced through other committees, leading to howls from liberal interest groups.
We long have complained about the slow pace of judicial nominees due to Democrat stalling tactics.
Despite the fact that a record number (12) of appeals court nominees were confirmed last year, there remained a serious backlog to fill over 100 vacancies.
Filling these vacancies, and feeding more nominees into the pipeline, is critical to reshaping the judiciary. But the pipeline, as squeezed by Democrats, can only handle so many nominees.
Chuck Grassley and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee finally appear to have had enough, advancing 17 nominees today. The Washington Times reports:
Seventeen of President Trump’s federal court nominees cleared the SenateJudiciary Committee Thursday, setting them up for floor votes as Republicans look to install as many conservative judges as possible.
Eight of the judges were deemed very controversial and were approved on a 11-10 party-line votes, while just two were approved unanimously.
Three of the judges were for circuit courts.
Democrats raised concerns over several of the nominees over their LGBTQ positions, saying they would not be fair to that community.
But Democrats spent the most time protesting Thomas Alvin Farr, who was nominated to be a district judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Mr. Farr was one of the judges receiving a party-line vote.
Sen. Cory Booker, New Jersey Democrat, and Sen. Kamala Harris, California Democrat, who were both new to the Judiciary Committee this year, said Mr. Farr’s connection to former Sen. Jesse Helms’ campaign concerned them, and cited the Congressional Black Caucus’ opposition to the nominee.
The first I learned of the vote today was when I received an emailed press release from a group called the Civil and Human Rights Coalition protesting the vote, Civil and Human Rights Coalition Opposes Continued Effort to Rush Through Unacceptable Judicial, Executive Nominees:
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement today following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s approval of 17 judicial nominees and six executive branch nominees, including Eric Dreiband’s nomination to lead the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice:
“Chairman Grassley and his Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee today continued their troubling pattern of ignoring Senate traditions to rubber stamp President Trump’s extreme and unqualified nominees. Never before has this committee jammed through so many nominees hostile to civil and human rights on a single day. Stuart Kyle Duncan, David Stras, Thomas Farr, Matthew Kacsmaryk, and Mark Norris are too ideologically extreme to serve as neutral arbiters; Charles Goodwin and Holly Teeter were rated Not Qualified to serve as federal judges by the nonpartisan and independent American Bar Association based on work ethic and lack of legal experience, respectively; and Eric Dreiband lacks the commitment to equal justice necessary to lead the federal government’s largest civil rights enforcement office.
This is not a fair process to the new committee members, who have not had a chance to advise on these nominees. These senators deserve better from Chairman Grassley. These rash actions are damaging not just to their rights but to the role that the Senate plays under the Constitution and the important vetting role that the committee has long served on behalf of the entire Senate. Our courts, and our country, deserve better.”
The Leadership Conference has previously called for senators to oppose the confirmations of judicial nominees Stuart Kyle Duncan, David Stras, Thomas Farr, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Mark Norris, Charles Goodwin, and Holly Teeter, as well as Justice Department Civil Rights Division nominee Eric Dreiband.
Although not mentioned by name in the press release, that coalition also opposed the nomination of Kenneth Marcus, who was voted out of the HELP Committee today.
Now Mitch McConnell needs to get these people floor votes. The Democrat tactic of insisting on one-by-one consideration with a full 30 hours of debate needs to be cast aside. A year of Democrats preventing Trump from staffing his administration, and delaying judicial confirmations, is enough.
As pointed out before, the liberal nightmare is that Trump could appoint half federal judiciary.
But that only can happen so long as Republicans control the Senate. While it’s unlikely Democrats can regain control in 2018, it’s not impossible. If that happens, the chance to rescue an institution would evaporate. Every single current and known future judicial vacancy needs to be filled by November 2018.
Hopefully Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell are approaching ramming speed on nominees.
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Comments
“Numerous non-judicial nominees also advanced through other committees, leading to howls from liberal interest groups.”
TS. The T-rump administration has been too slow to fill MANY essential posts.
Get ‘er done…!!!
Do it HARDER…!!!
Good news. Somehow it is not news that the Democrats are doing everything they can to impede. Do both sides do it? Well, only lately for the GOPe… they usually go along. The Donks? They’ve been pulling this crap since Reagan. They are the most political … party above all else, and they have no shame.
“Now Mitch McConnell needs to get these people floor votes. The Democrat tactic of insisting on one-by-one consideration with a full 30 hours of debate needs to be cast aside….”
The biggest impediment is that GOPe rat McConnell: we can be sure the rat is trying to use the judge appointments to squeeze Trump.
The GOP is as dead as McConnell looks.
Long live the Tea Party.
Teaparty.org
And in one case, that of Chai Feldblum, from conservative groups.
Chai Feldblum, A two term EEOC Commissioner who was a leader in the last administrations LGBT position and who has stated the view that when religious liberty and sexual liberty conflict, “in almost all cases, sexual liberty should win” so as to “affirm the dignity of gay people.”
Nominated by the administration to continue to be a required Democrat Commissioner, there are Democrats with a better “fit” to the administrations EO position than an LGBT activist.
Missed the apostrophe in “administration’s”. Oh for an edit capability!
Well, it’s not like religion has the same protections under the constitution as transgenderism does!
Wait. Are you SURE?
McConnell has said that he is tired of the 30 hours of debate for each nominee. Time to put the pedal to the metal, Mr. Majority Leader!
Easily solved: Establish every weekend, from 12:01 Saturday to 12:01 Monday as Senate Debate Over Executive Appointment time, where the Senate is in session *only* for debate purposes, no votes permitted. 48 hours total for the Dems to scream, shout, cry, moan, groan and bellyache on camera (widescreen, please, to show the empty room) before Monday around noon when the Senate starts up for realzies, and each nominee gets a vote. About ten minutes each, and the Senate can go about the rest of their assigned duties, such as passing a BUDGET!
Dave,
The only pedal McConnell is interesting in pushing is one that pushes money into his pocket or into his buddies’.
If it doesn’t benefit the GOPe, screw America.
Don’t expect McConnell to do anything for the sake of our country. In his mind, it does not exist, other than as a stream of income and personal gain.
Enough with this LBGTQXYZZZZ bullshit. It’s a smokescreen the Democrats engage in so they can avoid saying what the ACTUAL issue is.
They’re trying to lump in their transgender bullshit with gays/lesbians because they know damn well that it has no support among actual Americans.
You just wait: just when he’s finally about to be exposed as a traitor, barack obama will come out in drag.
You just wait.
They can identify 85 different genders but can’t tell the difference between legal and illegal aliens.
Booker and Harris should not have accepted the position if they were not ready to assume the responsibility. You need to know such a job before accepting it. Not to worry, they only do what the lefties tell them to do.
It is usually a good sign that I can be for something if Booker and Harris are agin it. Those two are among the worst of the left.
There is a passive-aggressive nuclear option:
Both houses adjourn for two weeks and Trump makes a pre-arranged list of recess appointments (they would serve through the end of 2020 unless confirmed for real). This should get the Dems a bit less obstructive regarding the process.
I hope Chuck Grassley’s favorite movie is “Ben Hur”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXh1tW16V-8