patrick mcneil (he/him)

@patrickryne.bsky.social

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civil and human rights advocate, writer/editor 🏳️‍🌈 writing: nominationnotes.com email: patrick@nominationnotes.com signal: patrickm.87

Senate votes scheduled for Thursday, via the Senate Cloakroom twitter account. It shows confirmation votes for both Daniel Traynor and Antonio Pozos on Thursday.
Chart showing how many judicial nominees Senate Democrats have supported since last year.
“It seems Senator Slotkin got duped by a Trump nominee. “As the first Democrat to return a blue slip for a home-state Trump judge this term, Slotkin said Michael Martin is independent, unlike nominees that pledged loyalty to Trump by denying the 2020 results and January 6. Turns out, Michael Martin isn't some bipartisan, neutral legal advocate. And Trump already had proof that he'd be loyal. Why? Michael Martin donated to Trump's 2024 campaign...twice. “And when Senator Blumenthal grilled Martin about the 2020 election, Martin wouldn't say who won the popular vote, refusing to contradict Trump with weird legalese about how ‘by law’ Joe Biden won in 2020. Senator Slotkin and Senator Peters wanted us to think Martin was different. “Michiganders deserve better than another Trump loyalist on the federal bench. We urge Senator Slotkin to vote no.”
Statement from the National Women's Law Center: "Benjamin Flowers has spent his legal career building the legal framework to strip away the rights of women, LBGTQI+ people, and immigrants," said Alison Gill, senior director of democracy and nominations at the National Women's Law Center. "Now, the Republican-controlled Senate has handed him a lifetime seat on one of the most influential courts in the country. Millions of lives will be impacted by the decisions that Flowers hands down in the coming decades; people whose access to reproductive health care, voting rights, and protections under the law depend on whether he will judge impartially or with an ideological bias. Unfortunately, like so many of Trump’s nominees, Flowers was picked precisely because he is willing to further an extremist political agenda rather than serve as a fair and independent arbiter of the law.”
The Senate schedule for today showing two votes at 11:30 a.m. (confirmation of Flowers and cloture on Martin), two votes at 2 p.m. (confirmation of Martin and cloture on Pozos), and one vote at 5:30 p.m. (cloture on Traynor).
The Senate vote schedule for Wednesday, July 22, according to the Senate Cloakroom X account. It shows two votes at 11:30AM, two votes at 2PM, and one vote at 5:30PM — all on judicial nominations.
A screenshot of the homepage of the Nomination Notes Substack showing the last five stories published.
Screenshot of the homepage of the Nomination Notes Substack showing the five most recent stories.
STATEMENT FROM DEMAND JUSTICE PRESIDENT JOSH ORTON ON THREE SENATE DEMOCRATS ADVANCING TRUMP-LOYALIST JUDGES “Tonight, Donald Trump, obsessed with his 2020 loss, will give a national speech to reignite baseless and dangerous election conspiracies, all with the intention of undermining the upcoming midterm. Yet this morning, only hours before Trump’s speech, Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, and Hirono voted to support judicial nominees who participate in the very same 2020 election conspiracies just to appease Trump. Democratic senators need to wake up and join reality: there is an authoritarian in the White House who’s attacking our elections, and voting to approve his judges is a grave mistake.”
A screenshot of the Senate floor showing the vote total on Schwartz's confirmation, which was 50-45.
“When Judge Domenico last came before the Senate for a nomination to the U.S. District Court, his record was based primarily on his tenure as Colorado’s Solicitor General and his work in private practice. Today, we have the benefit of more than seven years of judicial rulings and a more complete view of the manner in which he approaches his responsibilities – including Judge Domenico’s recent decision upholding the government’s ability to detain individuals in immigration custody without a bond hearing, a position at odds with every other federal district judge and magistrate judge in Colorado. An appellate level role on the federal circuit is fundamentally different from and more consequential than that of a district court judge, and serious questions remain about his interpretations of constitutional and statutory text. Moreover, we are considering Judge Domenico for this new position at a moment when the Trump Administration has spent years undermining the rule of law and eroding the independence of the federal courts. I cannot support his nomination in this context.”
A screenshot of the Senate floor livestream, showing the vote total for Hendershot's confirmation. It was 50-44.
Traynor was asked: During your nomination process for your current judicial position in the District of North Dakota in 2019, Senator Durbin asked you in written questions for the record if you had “tweeted or retweeted anything that you regret.” You replied, “None that I can think of.” Traynor said he stands by this statement. When asked if he regrets tweeting on November 9, 2016, “It feels good to be deplorable. #MAGA” — he said: This post was made following a political election campaign while I was a private citizen. At that time supporters adopted the moniker “deplorables.”
A screenshot of the homepage of the Nomination Notes Substack, which shows the last five stories published.
A screenshot of the Senate Judiciary Committee website showing that tomorrow's executive business meeting, or markup, has been cancelled.
8th Circuit nominee Daniel Traynor at his confirmation hearing
The agenda for the June 10 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showing the five judicial nominees who will be considered: Daniel Traynor, Angela Colmenero, Michael Martin, Kasdin Mitchell, and Antonio Pozos.
The agenda of next Thursday's markup, which includes votes on the nominations of Benjamin Flowers, Matthew Schwartz, Mike Hendershot, Rob Jones, Jeffrey Kuntz, and John Marck.
A screenshot of the Senate Judiciary Committee website showing that the June 4 committee meeting has been cancelled.
A screenshot of the Senate floor showing the vote total, which was 52-46.
But this year, some ardent Republican supporters say nothing – not even the prospect of a Democratic takeover of the White House – could convince them to vote for Donald Trump. “I cannot see one reason why any conservative would vote for Donald Trump,” said Matt Byrne, a 34-year-old Cincinnati lawyer who has voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential election since 2000. “I want what is best for our country, our party and for the conservative movement. Because I care about those things, I will not vote Donald Trump in November.” Byrne, pointing to Trump’s history as a registered Democrat and his political donation history, said he’s skeptical the GOP front-runner is actually a Republican. He doubts Trump could ever accomplish any of the things he promises to do, like building a wall on the Mexican border. And, even if he were to get a few of his policy plans passed, Byrne thinks it would only further drive the country into debt. Byrne is not alone. Republicans across the region – and country – are vowing not to vote in this year’s election if Trump is the nominee.
A chart showing the number of lifetime judicial nominees whose confirmations were supported by Senate Democrats during Trump's second term. Senator Durbin is in the lead after voting to confirm nine nominees so far — nearly a quarter of all lifetime confirmations.
A screenshot of the Nomination Notes Substack homepage showing the last five stories published.
Chart showing the votes to confirm Trump judicial nominees through the first 38 lifetime confirmations during Trump's second term.
Josh Orton's statement: “Mere hours after expressing outrage about Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion taxpayer slush fund for January 6th insurrectionists and other allies, eight Senate Democrats voted to confirm a Trump judge who refuses to admit that the Capitol was even attacked on January 6th by the same insurrectionists. All federal judges need to be loyal to the law and the rights of the people–not to the President’s personal or political agenda. Trump is already weaponizing the Department of Justice as his own personal law firm. There is no excuse or reason to help him do the same thing to our judiciary.”
I am pleased to announce the nomination of Daniel Traynor to serve as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in North Dakota. During his time as a Federal District Court Judge, Daniel has issued courageous decisions, and blocked illegal Federal Government actions under the previous Administration. Daniel received his Undergraduate and Law Degrees from the University of North Dakota and, before becoming a Judge, was an incredible attorney, and Law Clerk to Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court. The Citizens of the Eighth Circuit will have a true Constitutional Champion with Daniel on the Bench. Congratulations Daniel!
At your Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing, I asked you and your fellow nominees to apply the plain text of the 22nd Amendment to the question of whether President Trump can run for President again in 2028. Here is the text of the relevant section of the 22nd Amendment: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” a. Was President Trump elected to the office of the President twice? Response: Yes. b. If President Trump were elected again in 2028, how many times in total would he have been elected to the office of the President? Response: Three. c. Is President Trump eligible to be elected President for a third term in 2028? Response: No.
Four white men take the oath before testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator Jon Husted introducing judicial nominee Mike Hendershot.
The first written question for the record from Ranking Member Dick Durbin to Eighth Circuit nominee Justin Smith. The question was "Have you ever represented a client who was found liable for sexual abuse? If so, please provide the name of your client." Smith responded "I represent President Donald J. Trump in an appeal of a verdict that included what we contend was an erroneous sexual abuse finding."
A screenshot of the Nomination Notes homepage, which shows the last five stories published.
A chart titled "Questions for the record asked through the first 40 lifetime nominees." It shows how many written questions have been asked by the 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The agenda for the April 15 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showing the nominees who will testify, including Justin Smith, Jeffrey Kuhlman, Anthony Mattivi, and Anthony Powell.
A C-SPAN screenshot showing the vote tally on the confirmation of John Thomas Shepherd, which was 53-46.
I am pleased to nominate Benjamin Flowers to serve as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ohio. Ben is a Highly Respected attorney who served as the Solicitor General of Ohio, where he represented the State before the Ohio Supreme Court, Sixth Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court. Ben successfully challenged dangerous and unlawful Policies of the Biden Administration. Ben graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Ohio State University, with High Honors from the University of Chicago Law School, and clerked for both Justice Antonin Scalia and Judge Sandra Ikuta. I am confident that Ben will fight for the Great People of Ohio, and strongly uphold the Rule of Law in his new role. Congratulations Ben!
A screenshot of page 1 of the letter sent from the ABA to Chair Grassley and Ranking Member Durbin. The full text of the letter is linked in the post.
Kara Westercamp testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Nominees listed for consideration at a March 25 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. They include Sheria Clarke, Kathleen Lane, Kara Westercamp, and Evan Rikhye.
The Republican plan: Rig the next election
The Republican plan: Stop students from voting
Senator Merkley speaks on the Senate floor next to a large poster that says "The Republican plan: Stop citizens from voting act"
So yeah I choose to take the Bible literally. I do. I personally believe that it is the unerring word of God. But even if you don't believe that at the very least you have to give it some due for its ability to recite the records of historical culture and geography and world events. And I'll be honest, it seems to be perpetuating itself. As Solomon once said, there is nothing new under the sun. And evil, by the way, evil still wants our kids. Evil still walks among us. Evil still bangs on the door and demands access to our precious kids, and I believe that God’s position on that is pretty clear. Drag queens, pedophiles, and parents who sacrifice their children to the gods of culture and enlightenment — they deserve nothing more than to have a millstone necklace and be cast into a lake.
A post from Williams on X that says: "Abortion is the most heinous and grievous tragedy wrought upon society.....it is nothing more than industrialized slaughter. We should be thankful and reflective today but instead we are setting up barricades around the Supreme Court"
Screenshot of the US Courts website showing that Judges Sutton, Livingston, and Tymkovich all recently announced they were taking senior status and handing over their seats for Trump to fill.
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams on SNL.
Chief Justice John Roberts
Rep. Al Green holding a sign that reads "Black People Aren't Apes!"