The federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina features the longest-standing vacancy in the nation—a decade-long vacancy. Federal District Court Judge Malcolm Jones Howard semi-retired on December 31, 2005, and the seat hasn't been permanently filled since. North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, Republican, wants to keep it that way.
President Barack Obama, who is nearing the twilight of his second term, nominated Timmons-Goodson and seven others to serve as judges in federal district courts across the country. Almost immediately, Sen. Richard Burr said he opposed the nomination and would not submit it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. […]
Burr issued a news release late Thursday condemning Obama for what he described as “making a brazenly political nomination,” adding that he refused to support a new nomination in North Carolina from the president.
“Several years ago, when this seat first became vacant, I worked with former Senator Kay Hagan, other interested members of Congress, and the President to fill the vacancy in the Eastern District,” Burr said in his statement. “After the agreement had been made, the President declined to honor it. I remain disappointed that the President broke our agreement. I’m even more disappointed that the White House has chosen to double down by making a brazenly political nomination, and without consulting either of North Carolina’s Senators.”
Except that the only agreement that was ever made public, one that Hagan agreed to, was to nominate Jennifer May-Parker, a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District. Hagan submitted a "blue slip" for May-Parker, the courtesy that the Senate Judiciary Committee extends to home-state senators to put forward candidates they support. Burr refused to give her a blue slip and because then-chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) honored those blue slips, the nomination stalled.
Please spend $3 to help Deborah Ross get to the Senate.
Burr is intending to not just let this one fade away, but wants to make it a fight, unbelievably. Because this is who the current nominee is: Patricia Timmons-Goodson, a former state Supreme Court justice and vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. So Burr has decided now, when his state is on the verge of completely blowing up over civil rights issues, to block this nominee. When he's running for re-election.
Bad move, Burr. Let's help his Democratic opponent, Deborah Ross, make the most of it.