The Koch brothers and their group of conservative donors are trying to rid Washington of an "arcane" rule that could affect President Donald Trump's judicial nominees and the future of the court system.
The blue slip procedure allows senators to submit an opinion of a federal judicial nominee if that nominee is from the lawmaker's home state. The Senate Judiciary Committee considers blue slips when deciding whether to move forward with a nominee.
According to USA Today, Charles and David Koch want the rule to go away because the GOP's narrow majority in the chamber of four seats means Democrats might have more influence than previously thought in getting Trump's nominees approved for the federal bench.
"Having a home-state senator have the ability to slow down the process, in our opinion, doesn't make sense under the Constitution," Koch network official Mark Holden told USA Today. "If you look at why Trump won, he wanted to change the culture of D.C. and what's going on there.
"Some of these arcane rules in the Senate, they don't make a lot of sense."
The Koch brothers, according to USA Today, gave hundreds of their donors information about the legislative tactic during a recent retreat in Colorado and urged them to speak with Republican Party leaders about not letting the blue slip procedure get in the way as they work to clear the path for Trump's nominees.
There were more than 130 openings on the federal bench when Trump was inaugurated. He has nominated a handful of people to fill those roles.
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