The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 along partisan lines Thursday to advance federal appeals court nominee Greg Katsas, who now awaits a confirmation vote by the Senate.
Katsas was nominated to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where he formerly served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas. Katsas also clerked for Thomas at the U.S. Supreme Court.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee’s top-ranking Democrat, raised questions on Thursday about Katsas’ “independence” because of his work for President Trump’s transition team and the White House Counsel’s office.
“I find it difficult to believe that this nominee, who has spent the last year of his life devoted to advising President Trump on many of his most controversial, most legally dubious initiatives, will be truly independent,” Feinstein said.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday he did not think Katsas’ ties to Trump or the right-leaning Federalist Society should have any affect on the outcome of his nomination.
“Mr. Katsas works in the White House Counsel’s Office. His client is the President of the United States. As in all attorney-client relationships, Mr. Katsas’s job is to provide legal advice to the president,” Grassley said. “He’s not responsible for the president’s policy decisions. Thus, any disagreement with this administration’s policies is no basis for voting against Mr. Katsas, who has served his country with distinction for many years.”
Following Thursday’s Judiciary Committee votes, 21 judicial nominees are waiting for a vote on the Senate floor. Next week, the Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on two nominees to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, including Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett and attorney James Ho.
