In Texas,outgoing Sen. John Cornyn has expressed reservations about a top Justice Department official who has been nominated for a federal judgeship in the Dallas area. The two Arkansas senators, both Republicans, opposed a Trump nominee to a powerful appeals court seat, forcing the White House to withdraw Trump’s pick this week. And in Oklahoma, an appointed GOP senator has thrown up sudden objections to a district court nominee after earlier giving him the green light.
Central to this effort are Cornyn and retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, both of whom serve on the Judiciary Committee and are using their leverage to effectively block nominations on behalf of Republicans who aren’t on the panel. They have both had a tense relationship with President Trump.
Asked about his opposition to the Arkansas and Oklahoma nominees, Tillis said he wants senators and their views on the prospective judges to be heard by the administration. His message to the White House, Tillis said, was: “Don’t treat us like a manufacturing facility. Treat us like the U.S. Senate.”
Trump had nominated Lee Rudofsky of Arkansas to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. But the White House abruptly pulled that nomination on Tuesday, after Cornyn and Tillis had privately conveyed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that they would vote against Rudofsky in committee, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm private deliberations.
Grassley also was forced to postpone a key committee vote on Tuesday for Oklahoma judicial nominee Zachary West because of opposition from Tillis on behalf of Sen. Alan Armstrong, one of the people said.
