TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKING GROUP AND INDIVISIBLE C2A
THE BASICS
Senate leadership is threatening to abandon the 100-year old “blue slip” reference tradition that provides a critical firewall against extremist judges nominated to lifetime appointments. Urge Angus King and Susan Collins to publicly speak out in favor of maintaining the blue slip tradition, and ask them to tell Chuck Grassley (Chair, Judiciary Committee) and Mitch McConnell (Majority Leader): NO BLUE SLIP, NO HEARING.
THE ISSUE
Conservative media and the White House are pressuring Grassley and McConnell to abolish the longstanding Senate tradition of requiring favorable “blue slip” comments from a state’s senators when a judge is nominated to serve in that state. Their goal is to make it easier for Trump to push through dozens more highly conservative judges. Because Democrats have used the blue slip process to block some extremist nominees, McConnell has suggested that he might simply do away with this tradition. Many of Trump’s judicial appointments have held troubling and extremist views, most recently Jeff Mateer, who described transgender children as “Satan’s plan” and lamented that same sex marriage would lead to bigamy and polygamy. Since Republicans have shown no indication of an unwillingness to approve any Trump nomination, regardless of their views, the blue slip process has assumed a new importance as a critical firewall.
THE ACTION
Call both our senators and ask them to publicly urge Chairman Grassley and Majority Leader McConnell to respect the blue slip process and not hold hearings or votes for judicial nominees who lack favorable blue slips from both senators of the relevant state. NO BLUE SLIP, NO HEARING.
