Republican senators joined Democrat colleagues in advancing multiple judicial nominees from a Senate panel after a weekslong pause due to the absence of a Democrat senator.
The Senate Judiciary Committee discharged seven nominees from President Joe Biden on April 20 as at least one Republican joined all remaining Democrats on the panel.
GOP senators helped advance Jeffrey Cummings and LaShonda Hunt, nominated as U.S. District Court judges for the Northern District of Illinois; Orelia Merchant, nominated as U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York; Michael Farbiarz and Robert Kirsch, nominated as U.S. District Court judges for the District of New Jersey; and Monica Almadani and Wesley Hsu, nominated as U.S. District Court judges for Central District of California.
Democrats control the Senate, giving them the chair and a majority on each committee. Democrats have 11 members, including Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), on the judiciary panel. Republicans have 10 members. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been absent since February as she deals with shingles. Feinstein asked to be temporarily replaced, but Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) blocked that bid.
Durbin, though, said he’d spoken to Graham and had chosen to hold the first hearing in weeks to vote on the nominees.
“Our agenda includes a number of judicial nominees who have been sitting on the agenda for some time. Some have bipartisan support. There’s nothing to prevent us from calling and voting on these nominees today even in Sen. Feinstein’s absence,” he said. “I understand we now have agreement to vote on several of them. I’ve spoken to Sen. Graham.”
“Today I’m going to do my part, and my colleagues will vote the way they think is best, to keep the committee moving forward,” Graham said.
Both Graham and Durbin said they wished Feinstein well and hope she returns soon.
Without Republican support, Democrats cannot advance nominees to the full Senate. The judiciary panel is charged with considering nominees offered by Biden. Feinstein voted by proxy for each nominee, but proxy votes are only allowed under committee rules if they are not the deciding vote, CNN reported.
