Demand Justice Statement on Blue Slips

Press Release / January 12, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 12, 2022

CONTACT: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC— Following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Andre Mathis, at which several Republican senators complained about a circuit court nominee being advanced over the opposition of home-state senators, Demand Justice Chief Counsel Christopher Kang released the following statement:

“Republicans complaining about not having their blue slips honored is like an arsonist complaining about the house he burnt down not keeping the wind out anymore. Republican senators have irrevocably changed the judicial confirmation process, and there is no putting the blue slip genie back in the bottle. As their posturing during this hearing shows, many Republicans will invent a reason to oppose even the most unobjectionable Biden nominees, and Democrats should continue to ignore those bad faith attacks.”

During the Trump administration, Republicans confirmed 17 circuit judges whose home-state senators did not return positive blue slips. A list of those judges can be found below.

Trump Judges Confirmed Over The Objection of Home State Democratic Senators

  1. David Stras (Sen. Franken opposed)
  2. Michael Brennan (Sen. Baldwin opposed)
  3. David Porter (Sen. Casey opposed)
  4. Eric Miller (Both Washington senators opposed)
  5. Chad Readler (Sen. Brown opposed)
  6. Eric Murphy (Sen. Brown opposed)
  7. Paul Matey (Both New Jersey senators opposed)
  8. Joseph Bianco (Both New York senators opposed)
  9. Michael Park (Both New York senators opposed)
  10. Kenneth Lee (Both California senators opposed)
  11. Dan Collins (Both California senators opposed)
  12. Daniel Bress (Both California senators opposed)
  13. Peter Phipps (Sen. Casey opposed)
  14. Steven Menashi (Both New York senators opposed)
  15. Patrick Bumatay (Both California senators opposed)
  16. Lawrence VanDyke (Both Nevada senators opposed)
  17. Andrew Brasher (Sen. Jones opposed)

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