Posted on 09/17/2020 1:04:00 AM PDT by Jaysin
So the good MAGA news is that the US Senate has confirmed 6 judges so far this week (with 2 more pending today) to the bench
4 of them on central district of CA, 2 in south IL and 2 in north IL--all of which are liberal cesspools as far as the existing benches go, with lots of vacancies still to fill. So it's great news that Trump is filling slots with judges that at least will follow the law,
But can someone who might know more about how this works explain something to me: Two district judges for the Southern IL court were confirmed yesterday. If I understand correctly, the Senate still follows the blue-slip process for district court judges which means that for IL both Duckworth and Durbin would have to "approve" of the judges before they hit the senate floor for a vote (or perhaps even the senate judicial committee) Yet, I noticed that Duckworth voted NAY on both of the Illinois judges confirmed.
Does that mean that Duckworth actually approved the blue-slip for the judge to proceed but then actually voted against them on the Senate floor? That baffles me. Feinstein voted YAY for all 4 of her states judges (Harris was heeling up on the campaign trail and didn't vote)
Could be two things. Either some sort of real for something happened to get these nominees through committee. Or Duckworth knows that this individual was worthy of elevation so didn’t block them but still didn’t want to vote for them.
I don’t think they follow that anymore. I believe they ended. See Wiki...
Since 2003, blue slip policy has changed several more times, as follows:
“2003-2007: A return of a negative blue slip by one or both home-state Senators does not prevent the committee from moving forward with the nomination — provided that the Administration has engaged in pre-nomination consultation with both of the home-state Senators.”[4][5]
From 2007 to January 3, 2018: The chairman’s blue-slip policy allowed movement on a judicial nominee only if both home-state Senators returned positive blue slips to the committee. If one home-state Senator returned a negative blue slip, no further action would be taken on the nominee.[5]
January 3, 2018 - present: “The lack of two positive blue slips will not necessarily preclude a circuit-court nominee from receiving a hearing unless the White House failed to consult with home-state senators. Hearings are unlikely for district court nominees without two positive blue slips.”[6]
In October 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he believed blue slips should not prevent committee action on a nominee.[7] In November 2017, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, announced that the committee would hold hearings for David Stras and Kyle Duncan. Stras’ hearing was held up by Senator Al Franken’s refusal to return the blue slip, while Duncan’s hearing was held up by Senator John Neely Kennedy’s indecision on his blue slip. Kennedy, however, consented to Duncan receiving a hearing.[8][9]
In February 2019, attorney Eric Miller was confirmed to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, despite the fact that neither of his two home-state senators (Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both of Washington) had returned blue slips for him.[10] He was the first federal judicial nominee to be so confirmed without support from either of his home-state senators, although other nominees were similarly confirmed to the Courts of Appeals without blue slips later in 2019, including Paul Matey (Third Circuit, New Jersey), Joseph F. Bianco and Michael H. Park (both Second Circuit, New York), and Kenneth K. Lee, Daniel P. Collins, and Daniel Aaron Bress (all Ninth Circuit, California).
I understood that for district judges, they still followed the blue-slip protocol, which is why there are still many vacancies in states like NY and CA were the dem senators are stonewalling.
Also the judges that have been nominated in those states have been confirmed very easily with very few dem senators opposing (which means these aren’t conservative judges, but tolerable for the republicans)
Some of the judges were actually nominated by Obama originally but never confirmed before the session expired.
the blue-slips are not followed for the appellate courts anymore.
September 15, 2020 -
Confirmed, 83-12: Executive Calendar #589 Mark C. Scarsi to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California.
September 15, 2020 -
Confirmed, 92-4: Executive Calendar #590 Stanley Blumenfeld to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California.
September 15, 2020 -
Confirmed, 83-12: Executive Calendar #773 John W. Holcomb to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California.
September 16, 2020 -
Confirmed, 86-10: Executive Calendar #774 Todd Wallace Robinson to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California.
September 16, 2020 -
Confirmed, 55-41: Executive Calendar #812 David W. Dugan to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois.
September 16, 2020 -
Confirmed, 55-41: Executive Calendar #813 Stephen P. McGlynn to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois.
September 17, 2020 -
Confirmed, 68-26: Executive Calendar #816 Franklin Ulyses Valderrama to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
September 17, 2020 -
Confirmed, 77-14: Executive Calendar #814 Iain D. Johnston to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
September 17, 2020 -
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #815 Roderick C. Young to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.
September 17, 2020 -
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #588 John Charles Hinderaker to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona.
# Judge Court Nomination date Confirmation date Confirmation vote Began active service 147 Brett H. Ludwig E.D. Wis. March 3, 2020 September 9, 2020 91–5 September 10, 2020 148 Christy C. Wiegand W.D. Pa. February 12, 2020 September 9, 2020 82–14 September 11, 2020 149 Hala Y. Jarbou W.D. Mich. March 18, 2020 September 10, 2020 83–16 150 Thomas T. Cullen W.D. Va. February 4, 2020 September 10, 2020 79–19 September 15, 2020 151 Diane Gujarati E.D.N.Y. May 15, 2018 September 10, 2020 99–0 152 Mark C. Scarsi C.D. Cal. November 13, 2018 September 15, 2020 83–12 153 Stanley Blumenfeld C.D. Cal. November 13, 2018 September 15, 2020 92–4 154 John W. Holcomb C.D. Cal. November 21, 2019 September 15, 2020 83–12 155 Todd W. Robinson S.D. Cal. November 21, 2019 September 16, 2020 86–10 156 David W. Dugan S.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 16, 2020 55–41 157 Stephen P. McGlynn S.D. Ill. February 4, 2020 September 16, 2020 55–41 158 Franklin U. Valderrama N.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 17, 2020 68–26 159 Iain D. Johnston N.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 17, 2020 77–14 – Roderick C. Young E.D. Va. May 21, 2020 – – – Jeremy B. Rosen C.D. Cal. November 13, 2018 – -
# Judge Court Nomination date Confirmation date Confirmation vote Began active service 147 Brett H. Ludwig E.D. Wis. March 3, 2020 September 9, 2020 91–5 September 10, 2020 148 Christy C. Wiegand W.D. Pa. February 12, 2020 September 9, 2020 82–14 September 11, 2020 149 Hala Y. Jarbou W.D. Mich. March 18, 2020 September 10, 2020 83–16 150 Thomas T. Cullen W.D. Va. February 4, 2020 September 10, 2020 79–19 September 15, 2020 151 Diane Gujarati E.D.N.Y. May 15, 2018 September 10, 2020 99–0 152 Mark C. Scarsi C.D. Cal. November 13, 2018 September 15, 2020 83–12 153 Stanley Blumenfeld C.D. Cal. November 13, 2018 September 15, 2020 92–4 154 John W. Holcomb C.D. Cal. November 21, 2019 September 15, 2020 83–12 155 Todd W. Robinson S.D. Cal. November 21, 2019 September 16, 2020 86–10 156 David W. Dugan S.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 16, 2020 55–41 157 Stephen P. McGlynn S.D. Ill. February 4, 2020 September 16, 2020 55–41 158 Franklin U. Valderrama N.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 17, 2020 68–26 159 Iain D. Johnston N.D. Ill. February 12, 2020 September 17, 2020 77–14 – Roderick C. Young E.D. Va. May 21, 2020 – – – John C. Hinderaker D. Ariz. December 2, 2019 – -
Hala Y. Jarbou [Western District of Michigan]
Thomas Cullen [Western District of Virginia]
Mark C. Scarsi [Central District of California]
John W. Holcomb [Central District of California]
Todd W. Robinson [Southern District of California]
David W. Dugan [Southern District of Illinois]
Iain Johnston [Northern District of Illinois]
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