Black Caucus presses Senate Dems to blow up tradition on judges

Members of the House Democratic group met quietly with the Judiciary Committee chair, pushing to halt the practice that gives Republicans power to block home-state picks.

POLITICO

Jennifer Rubin: Senate Democrats need to play hardball

"Far too restrained and deferential, Durbin has refused to alter practices such as the 'blue slip,' which allows home-state senators to nix the president’s judicial nominees, although he has beseeched Republicans not to abuse the practice. Durbin also hasn’t yet conducted hearings on the disastrous effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and related abortion bans, nor has he held hearings on a mandatory ethics code for judges — although he has promised hearings on revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to disclose luxurious travel gifts and real estate sales. Then again, Senate Democrats as a whole haven’t pushed Durbin, so one cannot blame him alone for his timidity."

#uspolitics #ussenate #judiciary #blueslip
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/20/durbin-hardball-judges

Senate Democrats need to play hardball

Durbin isn't the right judiciary committee chairman for the moment.

The Washington Post
The #Democrats are just absurd. When #Obama was president the #GOP used the #blueslip rule to block over 100 of his judicial appointments. Then when #Trump was president & the #Dems tried to use it in the #GOP controlled #senate McConnell ignored the rule so the Dems couldn’t stop any of the trump appointments
Now the Dems are letting the gop blue slip Biden appointments again
What the hell!
It’s like the Dems are actually working for the gop sometimes
.@SenJudiciary hearing on Judicial Nominees – LIVE at 10am ET online here: https://t.co/B2lyw7No56 #BlueSlip https://t.co/Cxxb84oX1p
Senate Judiciary Committee Meets Consider Judicial Nominations, Nov 29 2017

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on two of President Trump's Circuit Court nominations. This is the first such hearing since Chairman Chuck Grassley moved to eliminate the so-called…