Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said Tuesday she will formally block a judicial nominee from Mississippi, leaning on a contentious committee tradition that gives senators a de facto veto over appointments to district court seats in their home states.
President Joe Biden announced Scott Colom as a pick for a judgeship position in the federal Northern District of Mississippi in October. But his nomination has stalled, even as other judicial picks have funneled through the Senate Judiciary Committee process.
Hyde-Smith announced in a statement that she would formally oppose Colom’s nomination, citing concerns about his record.
