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Dear John,
As if the filibuster wasn’t enough.
There’s another trick up the GOP’s sleeve to deep-six any of Biden’s judicial nominees they don’t like.
The “blue slip” -- literally, a blue slip of paper that both U.S. Senators in a state with a judicial nominee must return to approve the Senate Judiciary Committee moving forward to a vote.
Without a blue slip, the nominee is automatically blocked and cannot be confirmed.
It may not surprise you to hear that these blue slips date back to segregationist senators seeking to obstruct judges who would uphold the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision desegregating the schools.
And it may not surprise you to hear that these “blue slips” are still being used to keep Black and brown nominees, and lawyers committed to civil rights, off the bench in the very states where they are needed most.
Democratic leaders in the Senate have the power to fix it and stop Republicans from blocking Biden’s judicial nominees now. Let them know we’ve had enough “blue slip” obstructionism. It’s time to eliminate this archaic practice for good!
The U.S. Senate confirmed most of President Biden’s judicial nominees during his first two years in office. But now, Republicans in key states have blocked progress in district courts that are ongoing battlegrounds for civil and human rights.
There is no legal basis for blue slips in Senate judicial confirmations.
They aren’t actually required by law. They are only a privilege. Senate Democrats can decide simply to do away with them, thereby stopping the minority opposition from vetoing President Biden’s judicial nominees.
Democratic leaders need to know we are not putting up with the GOP’s extra-legal stalling maneuvers any longer.
Sign the petition to Senate Democratic leadership: Do away with blue slips to support the confirmation of all Biden’s justice-oriented judicial nominees now!
Democratic Leadership needs to hear from us.
Thank you for focusing your attention on this issue.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
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