Senate Committee Tees Up Trump Judicial Noms For Final Vote– thefederalist.com
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EXCERPT:
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced several of President Trump’s judicial nominations to the full Senate for final confirmation on Tuesday. The move came as part of Republicans’ efforts to confirm the president’s picks before losing Congress in January.
The committee voted along partisan lines (12-10) to send District Court nominees Daniel Ballou (Eastern District of Kentucky), Richard Bennett (Southern District of Texas), and Courtney Coker (Northern District of Texas) to the full Senate. The body also advanced the nomination of Kyle Reardon (District of Alaska) in a 16-6 vote, with several Democrats joining Republicans in support.
The Judiciary Committee decided to postpone votes for other outstanding judicial nominations until next week. The move appears to be in accordance with committee rules, which state, “At the request of any member, or by action of the Chair, a bill, matter, or nomination on the agenda of the Committee may be held over until the next meeting of the Committee or for one week, whichever occurs later.”
The nominees will fill several of the more than two dozen Article III vacancies still open, according to Ballotpedia.
Notably included in Tuesday’s list of held-over nominees is Arkansas-based District Judge Lee Rudofsky, who Trump nominated for a judgeship on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Reports emerged early this week indicating that Rudofsky’s nomination is being held up by Arkansas Republican Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton.
