On the recordOctober 4, 2017
I wish to support the confirmation of U.S. district judge Ralph Erickson to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Mr. Erickson received the support of both of his home State Senators, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Republican John Hoeven. Both Hoeven and Heitkamp submitted their blue slips for Mr. Erickson, and the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to advance his nomination to the full Senate. I hope Mr. Erickson's confirmation reinforces the importance of bipartisanship and the importance of maintaining the blue slip process. The Judiciary Committee has used the blue slip process since at least 1917, and the process is integral to maintaining the bipartisan nature of the Senate. Under both Presidents Obama and George W. Bush, even when a party had unified control of the Presidency and the Senate, if a home State Senator objected to a nominee, the nomination did not proceed. There have been recent discussions to suspend the blue slip tradition in order to force nominations through the Judiciary Committee. I encourage my colleagues to reject any such measures and to continue in the blue slip tradition. ____________________
