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In It to Win It

(12,130 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2025, 06:01 PM 11 hrs ago

US Senate confirms 2 Trump-picked judges in North Carolina, including former Thomas clerk

Dec 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of two federal prosecutors in North Carolina joining the federal bench as trial judges, including a former clerk to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas whose views on abortion and the death penalty have spurred Democratic opposition.

The Republican-led Senate voted 53-45 to confirm David Bragdon to serve as a life-tenured judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and 60-39 in favor of Lindsey Ann Freeman who was appointed to the same court.

The votes increased the number of judges confirmed during President Donald Trump's second term to 21, building on the 234 appointments he made in his first term that helped shift the judiciary to the right.

Bragdon had been the appellate chief at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, while Freeman most recently served as second-in-command at the Middle District's U.S. Attorney's Office.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-confirms-2-trump-picked-judges-north-carolina-including-former-thomas-2025-12-02/

7 replies

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US Senate confirms 2 Trump-picked judges in North Carolina, including former Thomas clerk (Original Post) In It to Win It 11 hrs ago OP

How John Coktosten 10 hrs ago #1

1) They're in the minority, and (2) both North Carolina senators are Republicans so we can't use blue slips In It to Win It 10 hrs ago #2

Minority? John Coktosten 7 hrs ago #3

Being in the minority does matter, it means you have no power in judicial confirmations In It to Win It 6 hrs ago #4

Not true John Coktosten 5 hrs ago #5

Not true. Blue slips give home-state senators veto power. "Home" is North Carolina in this case. In It to Win It 5 hrs ago #6

This is simply not true. Only home state senators could attempt to use a blue slip tritsofme 4 hrs ago #7

John Coktosten

(162 posts)

1. How

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 06:58 PM

10 hrs ago

How and WHY did Schumer allow Dumps judicial appointments to pass? What the hell Chuck? We should be holding everything up until Dunp makes concessions! WTH?

In It to Win It

(12,130 posts)

2. 1) They're in the minority, and (2) both North Carolina senators are Republicans so we can't use blue slips

Reply to John Coktosten (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 07:03 PM

10 hrs ago

Nothing we could do to stop those appointments.

John Coktosten

(162 posts)

3. Minority?

Reply to In It to Win It (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 10:13 PM

7 hrs ago

Minority doesn't matter for judicial appointments. Is North Caroina the only state with senators? Didn't think so. Any dem senator can stop this.

In It to Win It

(12,130 posts)

4. Being in the minority does matter, it means you have no power in judicial confirmations

Reply to John Coktosten (Reply #3)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 10:51 PM

6 hrs ago

and, of course North Carolina is not the only state with senators, not that it would matter because Democrats are in the minority anyway.

Having at least one Democratic senator in a state matters for federal district court nominations because the senate still use blue slips for district court confirmations. We have no senators in North Carolina so the blue slip "veto" is unavailable to us. Why do you think Trump's district court nominations have only happened in states with two Republican senators? If Trump does nominate a person to a district court in a state with a Democratic senator, it will be with the cooperation of the Democratic senator. If you're in the minority, this "tradition" is only power you have.

John Coktosten

(162 posts)

5. Not true

Reply to In It to Win It (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 11:38 PM

5 hrs ago

That's not true because it's the Senate. I agree if this were the House but the House doesn't do judicial appointments. ANY senator can use the blue slip or hold up a judicial confirmation. They DO NOT have to be from NC. Precisely the reason I spoke about Schumer.

In It to Win It

(12,130 posts)

6. Not true. Blue slips give home-state senators veto power. "Home" is North Carolina in this case.

Reply to John Coktosten (Reply #5)

Tue Dec 2, 2025, 11:43 PM

5 hrs ago

Not having any senators in North Carolina means no blue-slip power for us.

It's the reason Alina Habba will not be confirmed by the Senate as US Attorney of New Jersey. Both Democratic senators from New Jersey used their blue slips to block her. That's for US Attorney rather than judicial confirmations but it illustrates the "home-state senator" point in blue slips.

tritsofme

(19,751 posts)

7. This is simply not true. Only home state senators could attempt to use a blue slip

Reply to John Coktosten (Reply #5)

Wed Dec 3, 2025, 01:10 AM

4 hrs ago

for district nominees like this, not any senator.

The filibuster for these sorts of nominees was removed in 2013, if a determined Senate majority wants to confirm a nominee, there is nothing a minority can do to stop them in the end.

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