Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the Senate might need to change the blue-slip rule if Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., blocks President Donald Trump's judicial picks, Bloomberg reported.
Franken can block a Trump judicial nominee by withholding a blue slip sent to him by the Judiciary Committee. The blue slip allows senators to have a say on which judges are appointed to courts in their home state.
The Judiciary Committee sends a blue slip to home state senators seeking approval of the nominees once a judge is picked. If the senators sign off, the committee moves forward. If one or both senators disapprove or withhold the blue slip, the nomination tends to grind to a standstill.
Justice David Stras, who sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court and is Trump's pick for the 8th Circuit, needs approval from Franken and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. In Michigan, where Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen is Trump's pick for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peter can halt the nomination.
"I think the blue-slip tradition can be helpful if it encourages the White House to consult in advance with senators," Cotton told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, according to Politico. "But we can't allow Democratic senators to continue to obstruct this president's agenda. If they're just arbitrarily not returning blue slips, we have to consider changing that tradition to one of its past other forms."
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