Dick Durbin To GOP: Our Turn To Confirm Judicial Nominees Without Your Consent

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday kicked off the first nominations hearing of the year with a message for Republicans: We’re moving forward with one of President Joe Biden’s court picks without your consent, and it’s because you did this to us.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) scheduled the hearing for Andre Mathis, Biden’s pick for a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Durbin acknowledged that both of Mathis’ home-state senators, Tennessee GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, oppose his nomination and signaled as much by not turning in their so-called blue slips to the committee.

It used to be a Senate tradition that, in the name of collegiality, the Judiciary Committee would not advance a judicial nominee until both senators from that nominee’s home state turned in a blue piece of paper signaling they were on board with doing so. But Republicans ignored that tradition for appeals court nominees when Donald Trump was president and when the GOP controlled the Senate — 18 times, to be exact — which resulted in 17 of those nominees sailing through the committee and to confirmation over Democratic objections.

What goes around comes around, Durbin basically said Wednesday.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dick-durbin-gop-turn-confirm-232122215.html

[ffr]

1. This news couldn't come soone enough. Fill the courts with qualified judges

and purge everyone and anyone you can who was nominated by TFG and Mitch McConnell.

This is wonderful news!

[Slammer]

33. differences

I'm ashamed, bothered, and angry that we've been backed into a corner so that we have to do this in order to get anything done.

I'm not ashamed, bothered, or angry that we're doing it.

The Republicans used to have norms of behavior in Washington. But frankly, those were breaking down before Trump ever showed up on the scenes. So he's only accelerated it.

[kimbutgar]

3. Punch back the bullies in the American Taliban party

I’m happy to see out Democrats finally saying enough and fighting back!

Good on you Senator Durbin.

[Escurumbele]

4. That is great, but I want Biden to expand the Supreme Court, it is unbalanced

Democrats need to understand that if republicans get a chance to screw Democrats, they will without a 2nd thought, so get ahead of the game and do things right.

The "Presidential Pardon" also has to be modified, a president should not be able to pardon people who committed fraud and other high crimes, no wonder why so many crooks run for office and pander to criminals like trump.

[mcar]

14. How is Biden going to expand SCOTUS?

[childfreebychoice]

18. We need a ret to civics stat. I love how ppl the powers

Of a dictator, king, or magician to pres Biden. An aside, disgusted that Abrams snubbed the pres and VP. She is a lawyer, ran for office, and should have better understanding of how gov works. Picket
Sinema and and manchin, not the pres

[lark]

20. Expand the number of jurists, very good legally valid reason to do so even.

9 SCOTUS was approved at a time when there were 9 judicial districts, so one for each, easy. Now there are 14 (I think that is the number?) districts and still 9 jurists. Expand the court to 14 to return to the HISTORICAL NORM!

[mcar]

21. I repeat, how is Biden going to do this?

I don't disagree that we need more jurists on SCOTUS - the poster insisted Biden should do it. I'm asking how.

[lark]

25. Ah, you ask the right question.

I am definitely of 2 minds on this. Part of me thinks the Nazis can't be deterred and we are in serious trouble. Another part thinks that the Jan.6 hearings could move the needle enough that Mancin/Sienema might be moved to stop acting like they are in a different party on some critical issues and actually support our democracy.

[GB_RN]

22. Close...

There are 13 districts, so the SCOTUS justices are out of balance when it comes to overseeing those.

But yes, that in and of itself is a valid reason to do so. And a couple of the districts are large enough that they need to be split...

Unfortunately, this would be filibustered, and you know that certain recalcitrant senators aren't going to be on board with changing that rule/nuking it. Then, there's the certainty that if we expanded the SCOTUS, the next time the Repukes had full control, they would almost certainly either shrink it, or simply expand it further, just to put it further out of whack in their favor.

An alternative would be to strip the SCOTUS of its appellate jurisdiction (which Congress can do), with the exception of the SCOTUS' original jurisdiction, and create a new, constitutional appellate court (also within Congress' constitutional authority). Then make all justices on each court rotating for a certain number of years from off of the regular federal bench (they'd still be lifetime, federal judges, so not a violation of the Constitutional requirement for lifetime appointments, which would have the effect of helping to minimize politicization of the courts). Again, this would be subject to Repuke filibuster, so we're back to square one.

[lark]

23. Thanks for supplying the right number.

[GB_RN]

24. No Worries

I edited my post with a little more info. You might find that interesting...
😉

[lark]

26. Yes, I went back and am glad we have another option.

Like you, I currently don't see either of Mancin/Sienema detaching themselves from their corporate interests/donors enough to actually support democracy.

[lagomorph777]

32. Congress could do it, but we need a much bigger majority.

That said, let's work toward that goal.

[cstanleytech]

34. Need atleast 50 Senators for that and no way will any Republicans agree to that which

means all the Democrats would have to agree to get a tie that the VP can then break and my bet is that 2 of the Democratic Senators would end up siding with the Republicans which means no tie to break.

[monkeyman1]

5. If I read this right , the dem's have had enough of this bull-shit ?

[PatSeg]

15. That is certainly how it feels to me

Democrats have had enough and they just aren't going to take it anymore. Meanwhile, I think Biden has helped set the tone for others to follow. There's too much at stake to cater to a party that wouldn't do the same for Democrats.

I would prefer that they were civil, but you can't be civil with people who are incapable of civility.

[OMGWTF]

30. I don't give them hell; I just tell the truth and they think it's hell. Paraphrasing Pres Truman

[PatSeg]

31. It certainly applies today

I wonder how much pushback Truman got from republicans back then.

[TomDaisy]

6. I am surprised and PLEASED. MORE OF THIS!

[TomDaisy]

7. Messaging to Repeat: "Mitch McConnell made a career out of keeping blacks off the federal bench."

Especially black women.

[Stuart G]

8. Thank You for posting...K and R

[BlueIdaho]

9. We are way past collegiality

Republicans shredded that tradition on their way to establishing a hostile workplace in Washington DC.

Fuck them, we need as many judges installed as there are vacancies to fill.

[lastlib]

19. I don't do collegiality with treasonous insurrectionist fascists, thankyou.

You want collegiality, stop being those people.

[Historic NY]

10. Burn them all the way

[Beartracks]

11. Make it so.

Weirdly, the MSM will of course only complain of this being "partisan" when Democrats are doing it. According to the MSM, the role of conservatives is to be hard-nosed assholes, and the role of liberals is to play fair. FTS. "What goes around comes around," indeed -- and it can't happen soon enough. We've got a system of checks and balances that needs checking and balancing.

==========

[James48]

12. Find the Spine

Stand up!

[Hekate]

13. I can feel the line of bumps on the Donkey's back as we speak!

[mushroomhunter]

16. my senator

keep it up - thank you Dick Durbin!

[gratuitous]

17. Caterwauling from the Republican side of the aisle should be ignored

Turnabout is fair play.

[Mr. Ected]

27. As long as we preface these decisions with a historical rationale I think it's awesome

Attention needs to be drawn to the un-American manner in which Congressional Republicans conducted themselves under Trump. They have a tendency to forget their malice and their history when they attack us, and this is the best REMINDER that they started the war, not us.

[RussBLib]

28. Go Durbin!!

Blackburn is a disgrace. She is just one of so many unqualified people in office, especially in the GOP.

She is such a southern hypocrite. Anything for Trump. Nothing for the Dems.

[SWBTATTReg]

29. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!! I'm tired of dems trying to bring these people onboard to jointly

review candidates and then approve / disprove them to the Judiciary, NO MORE. Republicans broke tradition and I think that they are going to be sick and tired of the color BLUE.

[DinahMoeHum]

35. Thank you, Senator Durbin.

Payback is a motherfucker, GOoPers.

[70sEraVet]

36. I despise our two Senators from Tennessee.

I'll sleep better tonight knowing that they are pissed off.