Senate’s ‘Blue Slips’ May Be Casualty of Dems’ Religious Tests
WASHINGTON—A venerable Senate tradition known as “Blue Slips” could become the next casualty of Democrats increasingly frequent imposition of religious litmus tests on federal judicial nominees.
For more than 100 years, senators have used the slips—literally a blue sheet of paper—to indicate support or opposition on a presidential nominee. A home-state senator’s disapproval on a Blue Slip was customarily the kiss of death for a nomination.
Now, the blue slip itself could become history if Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ignores Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s (D-Wis.) reversal last year of her previous support of Gordon Giampietro, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
The White House dropped Giampietro’s nomination following Baldwin’s reversal. She originally joined Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in recommending Giampietro and three other individuals to Trump.
Graham’s predecessor as committee chairman, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), set what could be a relevant precedent for the South Carolinian.
Frustrated with Democrats’ delaying tactics against President Donald Trump’s nominees for federal appeals court vacancies, Grassley announced Nov. 16, 2017 that he would no longer “allow senators to prevent a committee hearing for political or ideological reasons. Using the blue slip for these purposes is not consistent with historical practice.”
But Baldwin’s reversal on Giampietro’s nomination followed publication of a Buzzfeed story quoting him making clear his belief in strongly traditional Catholic teachings on marriage as only a union between a man and a woman and other social issues.
Baldwin became the first openly gay person elected to the Senate in 2012. Her reversal and the White House withdrawal of Giampietro puts Graham in a tough situation by forcing him to choose among several difficult options.
Full article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/senates-blue-slips-may-be-casualty-of-dems-religious-tests_2815094.html