WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump's nominees for federal judgeships will be able to sail through the Senate with minimal debate time as Senate Republicans prepare to remake the body's rules next week.
Democrats say it's an effort to pack the courts and to prevent scrutiny of the president's nominees. But Republicans say it's a necessary move in the face of hundreds of vacancies in the federal court system and in federal agencies.
"If this rule was dated, 'We'll do this January 20, 2021,' virtually every Democrat would vote for this," said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and a co-sponsor of the resolution to cut down on debate time.
