President Donald Trump has frustrated California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris after he left them both out of the decision making process for 9th Circuit Court of Appeals nominees Ken Lee and Dan Collins, according to Fox News.
The conservative nominees that, if confirmed, would sit on the decidedly left-leaning court, would likely have drawn ire from the two Democratic Senators, and the president decided to forgo the tradition of seeking the so-called blue slip approval from the nominee’s home state senators.
According to Fox News’ report, Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, isn’t thrilled about being left out of the process that so closely affects her state’s crucial court.
“I take it that without notice or discussion, the blue slip is essentially dead,” Feinstein, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in televised remarks on Thursday.
“Today, there are five judicial nominees on the agenda for the first time. Among these five are two Ninth Circuit California nominees, Ken Lee and Dan Collins, who do not have blue slips from either Senator Harris or myself,”
Feinstein went on to talk about the history of the blue slip which she appears to regard with great respect:
“Before President Trump took office, the blue slip had been a Senate practice for nearly one century. And during the past 100 years, before this presidency, the Senate confirmed only five judges with only one blue slip, and the last one was in 1989 – and in 100 years the Senate had never confirmed a judge without two blue slips,” Feinstein said before the judiciary committee.
“Further, no Democratic majority has ever held a hearing or confirmed a judicial nominee over the objection of a Republican senator who refused to return a blue slip.
“Since President Trump took office, however, Republicans have held hearings for 12 circuit court nominees and voted to confirm seven – seven – over the objection of home-state Democrats.
“This change in practice not only harms the Senate, it harms the federal judiciary. And I wish we could’ve had an opportunity to discuss it. I really believe it’s a mistake.”
