{"id":2244837,"date":"2024-05-15T05:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T09:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/menendez-trial-complicates-schumers-path-to-confirming-biden-judges\/"},"modified":"2024-05-15T05:41:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T09:41:38","slug":"menendez-trial-complicates-schumers-path-to-confirming-biden-judges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/menendez-trial-complicates-schumers-path-to-confirming-biden-judges\/","title":{"rendered":"Menendez trial poses challenge for Schumer in confirming Biden judges"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmenendez-trial-complicates-schumers-path-to-confirming-biden-judges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2244837&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The corruption\u2064 trial of\u200d Sen. \u200bMenendez (D-NJ) hinders Democrats \u200bfrom \u2063securing a crucial \u200cvote on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-judiciary-chairman-says-gun-control-is-top-priority\/\" title=\"Senate Judiciary Chairman Says Gun Control Is \u2018Top Priority\u2019\">judicial nominees<\/a>. \u200bMenendez faces allegations of\u200b accepting\u200c bribes, impacting\u200d Senate dynamics. Schumer&#8217;s majority may rely on\u2063 VP Harris&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-dems-will-pass-covid-relief-bill-with-or-without-gop\/\" title=\"Schumer: Dems will pass COVID relief bill with or without GOP\">tie-breaking vote<\/a>. Amid partisan challenges, \u200dBiden seeks to\u2062 reshape the judiciary. \u2063Menendez&#8217;s absence poses challenges, highlighting the Senate&#8217;s delicate balance in confirming judges.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3001819\/bob-menendez-corruption-trial-everything-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>corruption trial<\/a> of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is temporarily denying Democrats what could be the decisive vote on several judicial nominees waiting to be confirmed in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3002259\/how-bob-menendez-replaced-senate-resigns-convicted\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>stands accused<\/a> of accepting bribes to provide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-confirms-controversial-biden-pick-as-dhs-secretary\/\" title=\"Senate confirms controversial Biden pick as DHS secretary\">political favors<\/a> to three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Qatar and Egypt, attended the second day of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3002418\/bob-menendez-trial-judge-warns-both-sides-gamesmanship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>jury selection<\/a> on Tuesday for a trial that is expected to last six or more weeks.<\/p>\n<p>The charges have been a political headache for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). He declined to call for the resignation of Menendez, unlike a majority of his Democratic Senate colleagues, but on repeated occasions has expressed his \u201cdeep disappointment.\u201d Menendez has defiantly denied the allegations against him.<\/p>\n<p>Those calls have died down since September, when a grand jury slapped Menendez with his first indictment, but the prosecution will affect Schumer in more subtle ways as the trial gets underway.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez will be in a Manhattan courtroom instead of the Senate chamber, crimping leadership\u2019s ability to schedule votes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery vote counts,\u201d Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cI can tell you that we measure attendance almost every day when we make these decisions. His absence will be felt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schumer, who controls a 51-49 majority, is unlikely to put anything on the floor that is particularly divisive. Almost all of the must-pass legislation this Congress has been signed into law, while lame-duck priorities will likely include bipartisan bills that help Democrats running for reelection in November.<\/p>\n<p>But Democrats will continue to move judges that President Joe Biden nominated to the federal bench, some of whom cannot attract Republican support.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez\u2019s trial comes just as Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2989071\/biden-remaking-courts-counter-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"surpassed\">surpassed<\/a> Trump for the number of federal judicial confirmations at this point in his term, with 194 appointments as of Tuesday compared to 193 for Trump. Biden and his allies in the Senate are seeking to remake the courts in the six months before the election, with a priority on confirming female and minority judges.<\/p>\n<p>As of now, there are four <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-silent-on-biden-solicitor-general-noms-financial-conflict\/\" title=\"Lawmakers Silent on Biden Solicitor General Nom\u2019s Financial Conflict\">circuit court nominees<\/a> who cleared the Judiciary Committee without a single GOP vote, while seven party-line district court nominees are ready for floor action.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez does not sit on the Judiciary Committee, but his support will be needed for their confirmation should they be brought before the full Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a centrist Democrat, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/2960352\/manchin-roadblock-sotomayor-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>already promised<\/a> not to vote for any nominees who lack Republican support, meaning Schumer cannot afford any defections and may need to rely on the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t help their attendance issues,\u201d one GOP Senate aide said of Menendez\u2019s absence, \u201cand there are only so many days left on the Senate calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Menendez, indicted on corruption charges for the second time in his political career, will be stuck in Manhattan at the same time former President Donald Trump\u2019s hush money trial has him in New York. Trump gets Wednesdays and the weekends off, but must otherwise sit for the proceedings, now in their fifth week.<\/p>\n<p>John Coffee, a law professor at Columbia University who specializes in white-collar litigation, said Menendez, who missed the first Senate vote of the week on Tuesday, will have much the same incentives to stay put.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not just that the judge will want this, but any absence not expressly permitted by the court is likely to offend the jury,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThey are there every day and want the defendant to be there also.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) leaves the Manhattan federal court after the first day of his corruption trial on Monday, May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Stefan Jeremiah)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Schumer has faced bigger hurdles this Congress. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1181111\/senate-democrats-stuck-with-feinstein-dilemma-after-judiciary-committee-swap-fails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>prolonged absence<\/a> of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a member of the Judiciary Committee before her death last September, brought committee business to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/3996300-feinstein-set-to-return-to-washington-following-months-long-absence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>standstill<\/a> for weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Around the same time, he had to navigate the hospitalization of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who checked himself into Walter Reed Medical Center for depression.<\/p>\n<p>For a time, Democrats moved bipartisan nominees to keep the confirmation process rolling along and were eventually able to clear some of Biden\u2019s more controversial picks. Schumer may have to take that approach once again with Menendez gone.<\/p>\n<p>Of the nearly 200 judicial nominees confirmed since Biden became president, 88% received bipartisan support. Many are entirely uncontroversial, while others attracted crossover votes from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and other institutionally minded Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Still, a number have been panned by Judiciary Republicans as unqualified. Last week, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-confirms-americas-first-native-american-cabinet-secretary\/\" title=\"Senate Confirms America\u2019s First Native American Cabinet Secretary\">committee advanced<\/a> the circuit court nomination of Kevin Ritz over the objections of Republicans who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/us-senate-panel-advances-tennessee-prosecutors-nomination-6th-circuit-2024-05-09\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>cited<\/a> an apparent ethics complaint against him.<\/p>\n<p>Ritz denied any wrongdoing and told the panel he was unaware of any complaint.<\/p>\n<p>A lack of Democratic support has forced certain nominees to withdraw their nominations, among them Michael Delaney, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2728467\/schumer-backs-biden-appeals-court-nominee-despite-democratic-scrutiny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>scrutinized<\/a> for his handling of a sexual assault lawsuit. Meanwhile, one current nominee, Adeel Mangi, is opposed by at least three Democrats over his association to an \u201canti-police\u201d group.<\/p>\n<p>Mangi lives in Menendez\u2019s home state of New Jersey.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Menendez, the former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is on trial with two businessmen who allegedly showered gifts on him and his wife in exchange for political favors. A third pleaded guilty and is expected to testify in the case, while his wife will go on trial in July.<\/p>\n<p>The senator has denounced the investigation as fueled by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2445536\/bob-menendez-blames-bribery-charges-on-forces-behind-the-scenes-trying-to-dig-my-political-grave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>political vendetta<\/a> against him. In 2017, his first trial ended in a hung jury, leading the Justice Department to drop its charges.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Bob Menendez&#8217;s corruption trial (D-NJ) is currently preventing Democrats from securing a crucial vote on pending judicial nominees. Menendez faces allegations of accepting bribes for political favors from New Jersey businessmen, Qatar, and Egypt. This trial&#8217;s outcome could impact key confirmations in the Senate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2244838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24134792363096-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2244837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24134792363096-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2244837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2244838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2244837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2244837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2244837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}