The Senate conducted a significant vote regarding acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, on Thursday, moving her closer to a permanent position.
The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed her nomination on Thursday in a re-vote prompted by a Democratic walkout the previous week, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
Pirro received approval from the Republican-majority committee with a 12-10 vote along party lines. She, along with several other appointees from Trump, was scheduled to progress on July 17; however, the vote was deemed invalid when Democrats, protesting another nominee, disrupted the quorum.
Demonstrators against Pirro’s confirmation interrupted the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, vocally asserting that none of the committee members represented the constituents of Washington, D.C., and that the city’s residents had opposed her nomination, as reported by Politico, which did not mention that over 95 percent of Washington, D.C., residents are Democrats.
The Senate adheres to a “blue slip” policy that permits home-state senators to obstruct U.S. attorney nominees for their area. Nevertheless, since Washington is the capital of the nation, according to the Constitution, it lacks U.S. senators or House members.
Currently, Pirro is serving as the interim U.S. attorney after President Donald Trump’s first nominee for the role, Ed Martin, was unable to gain adequate backing from Republican senators. His confirmation was effectively hindered when Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, declared his opposition to Martin due to his remarks regarding the January 6, 2021, Capitol incident and his defense of certain rioters, as noted by Politico.
Pirro took the oath of office in May to act as the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., during a ceremony in the Oval Office. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath, with President Trump present.