{"id":2426033,"date":"2025-04-22T07:13:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T11:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-could-circumvent-schumers-blockade-on-new-york-prosecutors-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T07:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T11:18:11","slug":"how-trump-could-circumvent-schumers-blockade-on-new-york-prosecutors-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-could-circumvent-schumers-blockade-on-new-york-prosecutors-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"How Trump could circumvent Schumer\u2019s blockade on New York prosecutors &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Fhow-trump-could-circumvent-schumers-blockade-on-new-york-prosecutors-washington-examiner%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=2426033&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 article discusses President Donald TrumpS strategy to bypass Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer&#8217;s blockade on two prosecutor nominees by potentially utilizing a lesser-known statute that allows judges to appoint U.S. attorneys. Trump recently appointed Jay Clayton as the interim U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, coinciding with Schumer&#8217;s announcement to veto Clayton and another nominee thru a conventional veto power held by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-judicial-nominees-highlight-conflict-between-progressives-civil-rights-groups\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Judicial ...s Highlight Conflict Between Progressives, Civil Rights Groups\">home-state senators<\/a>. The interim appointment gives Trump a temporary solution, but it lasts only 120 days unless district judges vote to continue the appointment indefinitely. Historically, this method has been used by past administrations, including Trump&#8217;s, allowing them to circumvent the formal Senate confirmation process. Moreover, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-censors-report-on-black-lives-matter-co-founders-real-estate-purchases\/\" title=\"Facebook Censors Report On Black Lives Matter Co...Founder\u2019s Real Estate Purchases\">article details<\/a> the political implications and past examples of such appointments within the Southern District of New York, highlighting the intricate relationship between judicial and executive powers in judicial appointments.  <\/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<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How Trump could circumvent Schumer&rsquo;s blockade on New York prosecutors<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2101755\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> may be able to skirt Senate Minority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Chuck Schumer&rsquo;s<\/a> (D-NY) blockade on a pair of prosecutor nominees using a little-known statute that lets judges install them instead of the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/114349929882626042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">named<\/a> Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the interim U.S. attorney for Manhattan on Wednesday, the same day Schumer announced he would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3382059\/chuck-schumer-blocks-trump-top-prosecutor-picks-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">veto Clayton and one other New York nominee<\/a> using a tradition that gives <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">home-state senators veto power<\/a> over their confirmation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3386374\/democrats-resist-trump-theater-procedure-tactics\/\">Out of power, Democrats resort to theater and procedure to mount Trump resistance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3386847\/senate-gop-mess-primary-2026-season-shift-hands-off-strategy\/\">Senate GOP confronts &#8216;messy&#8217; primary 2026 season with shift to hands-off strategy&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3386860\/elizabeth-warren-succumbs-grilling-biden-mental-acuity-defense-fair-enough\/\">Elizabeth Warren succumbs to grilling on Biden&#8217;s mental acuity defense: &#8216;Fair enough&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The interim appointment only gives the White House a temporary reprieve from Schumer&rsquo;s blockade, put in place as he and other Democrats accuse Trump of lacking a &ldquo;fidelity to the law.&rdquo; Interim appointments are good for as little as 120 days, meaning Clayton&rsquo;s tenure could be over sometime in August.<\/p>\n<p>But federal law allows interim prosecutors to continue in their role indefinitely with a simple vote by judges in the attorney&rsquo;s district. The votes are designed to limit disruption while nominees make their way through the Senate, but in practice, they have become a workaround for presidents to avoid the confirmation process altogether.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice used this very playbook in Trump&rsquo;s first term, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/03\/nyregion\/us-attorneys-brooklyn-manhattan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">naming<\/a> Geoffrey Berman as the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, the same post that Clayton will soon hold. After four months, a district panel then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdny\/pr\/statement-us-attorney-geoffrey-s-berman-appointment-chief-judge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">voted to appoint<\/a> Berman, who faced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/25\/nyregion\/geoffrey-berman-us-attorney-manhattan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">opposition<\/a> from Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-john-thune-to-endorse-tim-scotts-2024-bid-at-monday-campaign-launch\/\" title=\"Thune endorses Scott&#039;s 2024 bid at campaign launch.\">home-state colleague<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Berman served in the role for more than two years before he was fired by Attorney General Bill Barr, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/3639753-former-federal-prosecutor-says-barr-fired-him-because-investigations-threatened-trumps-reelection-chances\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">allegedly<\/a> over his investigations into several Trump allies. He never received a Senate confirmation vote.<\/p>\n<p>District judges don&rsquo;t have to vote on an interim attorney before his or her term expires. They&rsquo;re not even required to accept the administration&rsquo;s desired prosecutor. The relevant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/28\/546\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">statute<\/a> only says that the court &ldquo;may appoint a United States attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That means judges in the Southern District of New York, appointed predominantly by Democratic presidents, could in theory name someone other than Clayton if they find his nomination objectionable or appoint no one at all.<\/p>\n<p>Courts do have a vested interest in preventing casework delays, however, and it would be unusual to appoint a prosecutor the White House did not nominate or might otherwise oppose.<\/p>\n<p>Oftentimes, the DOJ consults with the chief district judge ahead of time to gauge support for a permanent appointment, not unlike the advise-and-consent role in the Senate, although it&rsquo;s not clear if this holds true for Clayton&rsquo;s nomination.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to go through this process and then be unhappy with the results, so that same sort of negotiation traditionally has gone on in the background,&rdquo; Jennifer Selin, a law professor at Arizona State University, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>If a permanent appointment seems unlikely, the administration does have another way to short-circuit the confirmation process. The president can name a U.S. attorney, subject to certain conditions, for up to 300 days, or almost a full year, using the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.<\/p>\n<p>This tenure is considered separate from the ordinary 120-day term afforded to interim U.S. attorneys, <a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5086466\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> Selin, so it&rsquo;s conceivable that Trump could extend Clayton&rsquo;s tenure well past his first year in office using different appointment authorities.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not entirely clear which authority Trump is using to appoint Clayton as U.S. attorney, but the president notoriously pushed the limits of the Vacancies Act during his first term. The White House and DOJ did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Clayton&rsquo;s appointment comes at a tumultuous moment for the Southern District of New York, considered one of the most prestigious U.S. attorney offices in the country. Several senior prosecutors resigned earlier this year after the DOJ moved to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Trump ally.<\/p>\n<p>Two prosecutors who worked that case were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/federal-prosecutors-worked-eric-adams-case-escorted-workplace-rcna195398\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">put on leave<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has not yet pursued an interim appointment for Joseph Nocella Jr., the other nominee Schumer is blocking using a Senate privilege known as the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-are-launching-a-judicial-power-grab\/\" title=\"Democrats Are Launching A Judicial ... Grab\">blue slip&#038;rdquo<\/a>; process. For now, John Durham, the ex-special counsel who probed the Trump-Russia investigation, is serving in his place as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump was previously successful in installing his preferred nominee in that district without Senate confirmation. In 2018, district judges <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edny\/pr\/statement-united-states-attorney-richard-p-donoghue-statement-united-states-attorney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">appointed<\/a> Richard Donoghue to the post after the DOJ named him as interim prosecutor.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, dozens of U.S. attorneys have been appointed by district courts over the last three decades, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/psq.12771\">according to<\/a> researchers at Yale and Boston University.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3377405\/illinois-democrats-durbin-2026-elections\/\"><strong>ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS WAIT IN THE WINGS FOR DURBIN 2026 ANNOUNCEMENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In some cases, there is a political advantage to sidestepping the Senate, allowing presidents to overcome &ldquo;blue slip&rdquo; objections or a chamber controlled by the opposite party. The district judge appointments are also a matter of practicality given the uncertainty created by the prospect of vacancies.<\/p>\n<p>Selin noted that court appointments are more common after presidential elections, when presidents typically ask for the resignation of all 93 U.S. attorneys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2101755\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2101755\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump may bypass Schumer&#8217;s blockade on prosecutor nominees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2426034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ap-schumer-gillibrand-1024x592.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32397,53855,4411,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2426033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-blockade","tag-new-york-prosecutors","tag-schumer","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ap-schumer-gillibrand-1024x592.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2426033","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=2426033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2426033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2426037,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2426033\/revisions\/2426037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2426034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2426033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2426033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2426033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}