Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., announced he will oppose the confirmation of Thomas Farr to serve as a judge on the federal bench in North Carolina’s Eastern District, a move that will likely doom the nomination.
Scott, the GOP’s sole African-American senator, said in a statement that a recently uncovered Justice Department memo about Farr’s role in voter suppression tactics in the 1990s concerned him enough to oppose his confirmation.
“This week a Justice Department memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr’s activities. This, in turn, created more concerns,” Scott said in a statement Thursday. “Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr’s nomination.”
Scott’s opposition could well end Farr’s bid to reach the federal bench. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he will oppose Farr, and as of Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was undecided.
All Democrats oppose Farr, who they have argued has a history of opposing minority voting rights.
Staunch defenders, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, say an investigation has shown Farr was not involved in a scheme in 1991 to sent 120,000 postcards to mostly minority voters in North Carolina that were aimed at discouraging voting. Farr at the time was serving as a top lawyer to the re-election campaign of the late Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C.
Scott’s office has been bombarded with calls and emails from Farr opponents since he voted to advance the nomination on Wednesday. At the time, Scott said he was planning to speak to the authors of the Justice Department memo.
He told the Washington Examiner he spoke to them on Thursday.
Senate Democrats unanimously and vocally opposed Farr, holding numerous press conferences denouncing his record on voting rights.
“Senator Tim Scott has done a courageous thing, and he’s done the right thing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “Thomas Farr has been involved in the sordid practice of voter suppression for decades and never should have been nominated, let alone confirmed to the bench. Thankfully, he won’t be.”