Trump pressures Grassley to abandon 'blue slip' custom delaying judicial confirmations

President Donald Trump on Tuesday night pressured Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley to abandon the "blue slip" tradition that he claims is delaying judicial confirmations, which allowed senators to oppose some presidential nominees. 

The process sends blue slips to the senators from a U.S. attorney or federal judicial nominee's home state for feedback on the nomination. If the senators fail to return the blue slip to the Senate Judiciary Committee, then typically the nomination would be rejected, per Newsweek.

Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that, given the current political climate, the procedure would mean that Democratic senators would block conservative judges.

"Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen," Trump wrote. "Democrats like [Chuck] Schumer, [Mark] Warner, [Tim] Kaine, [Cory] Booker, [Adam] Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates." 

Trump claimed that he would never be able to get his nominees confirmed in states like Virginia, New Jersey and California because of the tradition and urged Grassley to immediately break the custom as Democrats have in the past.

"Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the 'Blue Slip' SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED," Trump wrote. "He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective. 

"The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it’s time that we break it on them," he continued. "Chuck, I know you have the courage to do this, DO IT!"

The comment comes as the Senate faces backlash over the slow pace it has confirmed some of Trump's critical U.S. Attorney and judicial nominees. The delays have caused uncertainty among some of the nominees, because nominees for U.S. attorney can only serve in acting capacity for 120 days. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.