Antiquated, Perochial Senate Blue Slip Process Blocks Trump Appointees in Blue States Like California

This is one of my afternoon columns, where most of the political insights and strategic implications on a topic live below the paywall. What you see above the break is only the visible portion. The more profound questions — how the blue slip evolved, how California’s senators use it, and why Senate Republicans continue to defend it — are reserved for paid subscribers who support this work directly.

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A National News Flash With Consequences in Blue States

President Trump’s renewed push to end the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition highlights a structural flaw in federal appointments. A custom that once aimed to encourage consultation has drifted into something far more potent. Majority Leader John Thune quickly dismissed Trump’s call, signaling that Senate Republicans are still reluctant to part with a tradition that allows any home-state senator to stall a nominee before the confirmation process begins. The result falls heaviest on conservative administrations trying to staff federal law enforcement and judicial roles in deep-blue states.

In California, the consequences are immediate. Senators Padilla and Schiff can prevent any Trump nominee to a U.S. Attorney or district judge position from advancing by withholding their blue slips. Even though America has chosen a Republican President, blue states (even ones like California that have millions of Republican voters) block nominees whose only issue is that they share the views of the elected President. What should be a straightforward executive appointment process instead becomes a localized, practical veto, exercised quietly and without any public vote.

OK, the rest of this insightful piece is for paid subscribers…

What paid subscribers will see below:

• How a Senate courtesy morphed into a partisan veto

• How modern polarization turned blue slips into leverage

• Why conservative administrations bear the brunt

• How California’s delegation locks down federal appointments

• Why the Essayli saga exposes the system’s failure

• Why Republicans must stop defending a tool used against them...