White House reportedly asks Senate to hold off on judicial nominee long opposed by conservatives

The following is an excerpt from Blaze Media’s Capitol Hill Brief email newsletter:

One of President Donald Trump’s more controversial judicial nominees appears to be in trouble in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee has left Halil Suleyman “Sul” Ozerden off the agenda for a meeting to consider other judicial nominees and did so at the request of the White House, according to a committee spokesperson. This isn’t the first time that the committee has delayed dealing with the nomination, either. The committee held off on the nomination both last month and in September.

The debate over the nominee to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has been going on for a few months now. Conservative legal organizations have voiced their concerns about the nominee’s textualist bona fides, calling him “an establishment moderate” who “has not demonstrated a commitment to textualist methods of statutory interpretation.” A September letter signed by several leaders in the conservative movement cited concerns with the candidate’s “commitment to religious liberty, and more broadly, with his commitment to advancing the original meaning of the Constitution.” Committee member Ted Cruz has opposed the nomination, saying that the nominee hasn’t met the standard of showing a “strong, demonstrated record as a constitutionalist.” Committee member Josh Hawley has also voiced opposition to the nominee, saying, “I just think his religious liberty record is one that is difficult, that is troubling, there’s no issue that’s more complicated frankly.”

Now, after months of pushback, it appears that the White House might be reconsidering its decision. Whether this means the president will withdraw the nomination and opt for a nominee with more conservative support remains to be seen.

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