Two federal judge nominees from central New York passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a partisan vote Thursday. However, with time running out, getting full Senate confirmation could be a little more challenging.
Former Rep. Anthony Brindisi and Elizabeth Coombe, the first assistant U.S. attorney in Syracuse both were "favorably reported" to the Senate Floor by an 11 to 10 vote; Democrats hold a majority on the committee. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) had recommended them to President Biden for appointments on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) thanked his Republican colleagues who have worked with President Biden to confirm nominees to judicial vacancies, saying the judiciary is better off thanks to those efforts.
"On the other hand, some of my Republican colleagues decided not to cooperate with the White House and to hold district court seats open for a long, long period of time," Durbin said. "I disagree with their approach, but I honor their prerogative as home state senators to make that decision. As a result, there were some exceptional nominees that this committee did not consider. I feel strongly we have a responsibility to protect the institutional interests of this body and our constitutional role of advice and consent."
President-elect Donald Trump is calling on Senate Republicans to halt the nominations saying on social media, "Republican senators need to show up and hold the line. No more judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!"
Republicans don't have the numbers to block the confirmations outright as Democrats hold the Senate majority through the new year, but Republicans have used some delay tactics with a series of procedural votes to drag out the confirmation process.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has vowed Senate Democrats are committed to getting as many Biden judicial nominees passed as they can.
Lame duck session confirmations aren't new — during the lame duck period after Trump lost the 2020 election, the then Republican-led Senate approved 19 judicial nominations.
