Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today led Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling on Chairman Lindsey Graham to follow committee precedent and cancel the second nomination scheduled since the election.

“We write to ask you to cancel the nominations hearing currently scheduled for December 16,” the senators wrote. “This committee has already departed from precedent in holding one lame duck nominations hearing.”

The senators continued: “Despite the request to delay consideration of any additional judicial nominees, the committee proceeded with a nominations hearing on November 18. It is not too late, however, to cancel the December 16 hearing and return to the longstanding practice under which judicial nominees are not processed after Election Day.”

Full text of the letter follows:

December 10, 2020

The Honorable Lindsey O. Graham
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Graham:

We write to ask you to cancel the nominations hearing currently scheduled for December 16. This Committee has already departed from precedent in holding one lame duck nominations hearing. To hold a second would not only fly in the face of tradition, but would deny President-Elect Biden the opportunity to fill judicial vacancies.

As noted in a November 12 letter from Ranking Member Feinstein, dating back to 1984, this Committee had only twice held a nominations hearing in the lame duck session of a presidential election year. But both of those hearings followed the reelection of a sitting president.

Despite the request to delay consideration of any additional judicial nominees, the Committee proceeded with a nominations hearing on November 18. It is not too late, however, to cancel the December 16 hearing and return to the longstanding practice under which judicial nominees are not processed after Election Day.

As of the date of this letter, we are just 41 days away from President-Elect Biden’s inauguration. The Committee should accordingly cease to process any additional judicial nominations and allow the Biden-Harris Administration the opportunity to fill judicial vacancies.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
Ranking Member

Patrick Leahy
United States Senator

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse
United States Senator

Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator

Christopher A. Coons
United States Senator

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator

Mazie K. Hirono
United States Senator

Cory A. Booker
United States Senator