Replacing a Senator to the Judiciary Committee: Why Susan Feinstein resigned last week after being diagnosed with shingles
Feinstein said that she asked Schumer to allow another senator to temporarily serve until she could return to work on the Judiciary Committee.
Feinstein said in a statement he expected to return at the end of March after being diagnosed with shingles. My return to Washington has been delayed due to continued issues from my diagnosis.
“It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign. We need to put our country before our personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people,” Khanna, co-chair of Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee’s campaign to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024, said Wednesday on Twitter.
In order to replace her on the committee, a resolution would need to be agreed upon to name another member to the panel. Typically, members are named to committees as part of an organizing resolution at the beginning of a new Senate session.
When asked if her absence had consequences for the Democrats’ ability to confirm nominees, the Illinois Democrat said it did, noting the long process of getting nominees scheduled for votes during precious floor time.
Feinstein’s age and cognitive health have been a concern ever since she was diagnosed with shingles. Last year Feinstein said she wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024.
It’s not just California Democrats who are concerned about the future of the seat. DeanPhillips said that he agreed with the statement on Wednesday.
The move could help Senate Democrats advance federal judges for confirmation — a key goal in any administration, but one that both parties have put particular focus on in recent years, as partisan divides have grown wider in U.S. society.
The Senate Committee on Feinstein’s 82th Without a Vote since Feb. 16, 2012: Attorney General Tim Schumer says the Senate is “on the Way”
Feinstein, 89, hasn’t cast a vote since Feb. 16, missing nearly 60 of the Senate’s 82 votes so far this session. The oldest member of Congress was hospitalized in early March with shingles, she said at the time.
As Roll Call explains, Lee would be the best candidate for Feinstein’s seat if she were to step down early.
A spokesperson for Schumer says that he will “ask the Senate next week to allow another Democratic Senator to temporarily serve on the Judiciary Committee.”
Its goals include plans to confirm more judges and it wants to hold a hearing on ethical questions surrounding the Supreme Court after a ProPublica report that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts from a wealthy Republican donor.