Ranking Member Graham on the Judicial Nominations Process

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today spoke about the judicial nomination process at the committee’s markup to consider judicial nominations.

• GRAHAM “…The Biden Administration went to blue states, the low hanging fruit, and confirmed a lot of federal district judges. I think Trump did that. That makes eminent sense to me. Now we’re in a situation where there are vacancies in red states…Senator Cornyn mentioned something about the White House Counsel. I wouldn’t know them if they walked in the room. I don’t think I have ever talked to them. If I have, I don’t remember it. It wasn’t a meaningful discussion… One thing you will get from [Republicans] is a willingness to consult, but it has to be a two way street.” https://youtu.be/NhscF3HO8Fs?t=94
• GRAHAM: “Yesterday, out of the blue I was asked about a comment Chairman Durbin made: ‘I want to continue blue slips with one caveat. I won’t honor a blue slip that I believe discriminates because of race, gender or sexual discrimination. So we’ll see how this develops.’ ... That standard, I don’t know how you would impose it. It takes the committee in a really dangerous place I think, for us to basically question the motives of our fellow senators and that being the reason to dishonor the blue slip.” https://youtu.be/NhscF3HO8Fs?t=9
• GRAHAM: “For well-over a hundred years, it has been the practice of this committee to honor blue slips at the District Court level… As long as that policy is in place, it empowers Senators from a state where the district judge will rule for the rest of their life, a say in that moment – to your own party and particularly to the other party. I just hope we will not go down that road. I hope we will honor the blue slip process.” https://youtu.be/NhscF3HO8Fs?t=132
• GRAHAM: “The bottom line here is [one of the last things] left in this body that makes the Senate, the Senate, is to give individual senators a say about a consequential decision in their state that will last a lifetime… I would hope we could agree, if possible, that no matter how frustrated we get we are going to honor this [blue slip] system. It does take collaboration and cooperation on our side. I expect that to happen, but that is a two way street.” https://youtu.be/NhscF3HO8Fs?t=429

Click here to watch Graham’s full remarks

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