It didn't get much attention yesterday, but Senate Democrats -- for the first time -- made a decision to move forward with one of Biden's U.S. appeals court nominees over the objections of that nominee's home-state GOP senators.
Payback time. huffpost.com/entry/dick-dur…
Payback time. huffpost.com/entry/dick-dur…
It was a longstanding tradition in the Senate Judiciary Committee: If a judicial nominee's home-state senators didn't turn in "blue slips" signaling they were ready to proceed, that nominee didn't move.
It was a bipartisan courtesy.
It was a bipartisan courtesy.
But Republicans ignored that committee tradition for appeals court nominees when Trump was president and when the GOP controlled the Senate.
18 times, to be exact.
18 times, to be exact.
The GOP's decision to do that resulted in 17 of Trump's appeals court picks sailing through the committee and to confirmation over Dem objections that previously would have been honored.
On Weds, Dems showed they're going to do this now, too.
huffpost.com/entry/dick-dur…
On Weds, Dems showed they're going to do this now, too.
huffpost.com/entry/dick-dur…
"Republicans chose to abandon this senatorial courtesy,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the committee.
“Simply put, there shouldn’t be one set of rules for Republican nominees under a Republican president and a different set for nominees under a different president."
“Simply put, there shouldn’t be one set of rules for Republican nominees under a Republican president and a different set for nominees under a different president."
Democrats are ignoring GOP senators' objections to Andre Mathis, Biden’s pick for a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Neither of his home-state senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, turned in their blue slips.
Dems say sorry not sorry.
Neither of his home-state senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, turned in their blue slips.
Dems say sorry not sorry.
That didn’t stop Blackburn from complaining.
Biden’s White House “has made it clear that they intend to eliminate the role of home-state senators in the nomination process," she said.
She also said there was “no meaningful consultation" with the WH on Mathis.
About that...
Biden’s White House “has made it clear that they intend to eliminate the role of home-state senators in the nomination process," she said.
She also said there was “no meaningful consultation" with the WH on Mathis.
About that...
A quick review shows Blackburn consistently voted to confirm Trump’s appeals court nominees who didn’t have blue slips turned in by Democratic home-state senators.
Since she became a senator in 2019, Blackburn voted for all 14 of Trump’s appeals court picks missing blue slips.
Since she became a senator in 2019, Blackburn voted for all 14 of Trump’s appeals court picks missing blue slips.
Blackburn also voted to confirm all of those Trump appeals court nominees over the objections of home-state Democratic senators who argued they had not been "meaningfully consulted" by the White House on their nominations. huffpost.com/entry/dick-dur…
Beyond her protests over the process, Blackburn said she opposes Biden's nominee Andre Mathis -- who'd be the first Black man on the Sixth Circuit from Tennessee -- and referenced his "a rap sheet" of three speeding tickets from 10+ years ago. huffpost.com/entry/marsha-b…
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