Posted on 09/08/2017 11:46:36 AM PDT by jazusamo
Oregon Sens.Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have announced plans to block President Trump’s nominee for the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In a letter to the White House on Thursday, the two Democratic senators said they do not intend to return blue slips for Ryan Bounds “or any other nominee that has not been selected through our judicial process.”
“As you are aware, in May we wrote you to explain Oregon’s long bipartisan tradition of working together to identify the most qualified candidates for judicial vacancies,” they wrote.
“As senators charged with the task for advice and consent in the selection of candidates, we take our responsibility to identify and recommend candidates to fill Oregon judicial vacancies very seriously.”
Under the “blue-slip” process, the home state senators of a judicial nominee can object to the nomination by refusing to return the blue-colored paper of support to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Merkley and Wyden said Trump has demonstrated he’s only interested in their input if they willingly pre-approve his preferred nominees.
"The judicial selection process is not a rubber stamp and the insinuation that our offices were purposely delaying the process is an indication of the partisanship with which you are pursuing this nomination,” they said.
Bounds, who currently serves as the assistant United States attorney for the District of Oregon, was part of Trump’s seventh wave of judicial nominations on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken reportedly said he will oppose David Stras, Trump’s nominee to serve on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Senate Democrats eliminated the minority party’s power to filibuster judicial nominees for lower courts in 2013 and Republicans eliminated the process for Supreme Court picks last year, leaving the blue-slip tradition the only way for senators to veto controversial nominees.
Because Republicans used them a lot during Obama's time in office? And they may need to use it again in the future?
The “blue slip” process is tradition, not law.
Trump should just put ‘em in anyway.
Tell these idiots to ESAD.
Time to do away with the idiotic “blue slip” tradition. Another clubby “collegial” tradition that the Demoncraps have ruined, if it ever had any value.
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”
I’m sure they only want flaming leftists like themselves on the bench.
Try and pack the court.
Dear Lord,
Please cause the evil doers to fumble, stumble, and fall.
Thank You in Jesus Name!
K.
And the piece of human excrement Mitch McConnell -- of course -- allows them to ban conservatives from the Federal courts.
Just put TEXANS on every single court.
Arizona -- if McCain and Flake count as "Republicans"
Used to block it completely. Since 2003 it's up to the chairman.
Thank you, I was not aware of that.
In addition, the tradition is a way for Senators to blackball a nominee that they can’t stand, for personal reasons. It is a way for all Senators to have power over people in their home state: “Cross me and you will pay for it”. It was not intended to be a way for Senators to kill the nomination of someone they don’t know for ideological reasons alone. That is why the rule should be ignored, the Dems are misusing it, and that is why the filibuster should be ended for legislation as well.
Why, why it is senate tradition and policy, we can’t change that, you are expecting too much of us! We are a deliberative body here and allowing one or two senators to rule the roost is just how things are done, especially if they are Democrats! Says McWeasal to all the Trump voters. We expect too much of the Imperial Roman, eh, American senate...
This Senate “custom” is not in the Constitution and should be disregarded.
The dogs lying, snarling, in the manger.
If the nominee is from their state, why, of course, the two ?Senators? own everything about him, they are absolute authorities and their judgment in this matter is beyond question.
Snark is supposed to be one of those character traits you shed upon graduation from high school.
The Constitution is just a quaint document written by a bunch of dead white supremacists to the Senate. But Senate tradition? By gawd that's sacred!
Time to eliminate this "tradition."
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