On Sunday, former President Trump sought to amplify the pressure on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) regarding the blue slip procedure. This practice allows home-state senators to block nominations for district court judges and U.S. attorneys.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump stated, “I have the constitutional right to appoint judges and U.S. attorneys, but that right was completely taken away from me in a state with a Democratic senator.” He criticized the blue slip system as an outdated custom, implying that Grassley was resistant to change.
“Grassley should support strong Republican candidates for these critical roles and, as I often say, tell the Democrats to go to hell!” Trump added.
Recently, Trump had to withdraw his former attorney, Alina Haba, from consideration as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey after Democratic Senators Corey Booker and Andy Kim objected to her nomination.
Historically, Senate Judiciary Committee chairs have refrained from advancing federal district court and prosecutorial nominations unless the relevant senators from those states submit approved blue slips.
A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Haba had been serving illegally as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey since July 24.
Haba directed her criticism at Grassley, as well as Booker and Kim, regarding adherence to the blue slip tradition. “I was the candidate for the U.S. attorney position, and despite my efforts to engage with them, Booker and Kim never spoke to me, which really harmed our chances,” Haba shared on Fox News.
She expressed frustration over Grassley’s adherence to the blue slip process, claiming it hindered numerous presidential nominations. “I didn’t even reach that stage,” she noted.
Haba emphasized the imbalance in judicial appointments, stating that of the 17 federal judges in New Jersey, 15 were appointed by Obama and Biden, suggesting a pattern of political motivation among these appointments.
Additionally, Trump contended last month that he had nominated a U.S. attorney candidate, with a representative for the long-serving Grassley affirming his previous success in advancing U.S. attorney nominations through the committee when blue slips were received from Virginia’s Democratic senators and others.
When candidates left the committee, they were subject to comments from all 100 senators, with their assessments influenced by the input from home-state senators.
The Hill reached out to Grassley’s office for a response.
