WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 21: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown, in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden's pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, will begin four days of nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A growing backlog of judicial nominees for federal benches will continue to wait after Republicans blocked an attempt to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) on the Judiciary Committee.
Senators needed to vote unanimously for a new nominee to replace Feinstein temporarily. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) blocked a vote to temporarily place Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) on the committee on Tuesday.
Feinstein, 89, remains home while recovering from severe shingles. She asked senators to temporarily replace her seat on the committee. The senator hoped to return to her assignment following a full recovery.
The move blocks Democrats from confirming more judges to federal benches. The pause in the judicial movement galvanized Democratic House members to speak out against the senator’s decision to maintain her seat while she recovers.
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“When I was first diagnosed with shingles, I expected to return by the end of the March work period,” Feinstein said about her diagnosis. “Unfortunately, my return to Washington has been delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis.”
Feinstein, who missed 58 Senate votes since her diagnosis in February, faces a growing list of Democratic members calling for her resignation.
“We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) tweeted last week. “While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
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