In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. Senate has given its nod to President Joe Biden’s nominees for federal trial courts in South Carolina and Indiana. Strikingly, the support crucial for their nominations came from none other than Republican home-state senators, signaling a rare display of bipartisan cooperation.
Jacquelyn Austin’s confirmation to a life-tenured position on the federal bench in South Carolina sailed through with an 80-17 vote, while Cristal Brisco secured a 67-32 approval for her nomination to serve on the district court in Indiana’s Northern District. This unforeseen alliance marks a departure from the usual partisan divide, showcasing an increasing willingness of the White House to collaborate across party lines in filling court vacancies.
President Biden has now notched up approval for 170 judicial nominees, with a record-breaking 35 of them being Black women, including Austin and Brisco. Their appointments add a historic touch as Austin becomes the third Black woman to serve as a district court judge in South Carolina, and Brisco claims the title of the first Black judge and woman of color in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
The nominations, which initially raised eyebrows in November, highlight the administration’s efforts to bridge the political gap in states where Republican senators hold sway. The peculiar Senate tradition of requiring “blue slips” supporting nominees from their respective states played a significant role. In this instance, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, Mike Braud, and Todd Young provided the necessary blue slips, indicating a departure from the norm.
Despite criticism from progressive advocates who argue that the blue slip custom obstructs nominations, Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, defended the tradition. During a Wednesday hearing, he expressed gratitude to his Republican colleagues for their “good-faith, bipartisan efforts to fill these vacancies.” This move comes ahead of another crucial vote for nominee Gretchen Lund in Indiana’s Northern District on Thursday.
The confirmation of the nominees and the successful hearing shed light on President Biden’s commitment to collaborating with senators from both parties in appointing new judicial nominees. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, in a statement, urged senators who have been hesitant to engage meaningfully with the administration to recognize the need for cooperation.
In a political landscape often marked by division, this unexpected bipartisan support for judicial nominees signals a potential shift towards a more collaborative approach to governance.
