BOISE (AP) — Idaho’s U.S. senators say they will push for a confirmation vote on a federal judge nominee during the lame duck session of Congress.
Idaho has been down to just one active federal U.S. district judge since summer 2015, reported The Spokesman-Review. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch said they are standing by nominee David Nye, of Pocatello, and will push for a confirmation vote in the congressional session that started Monday or for Nye’s nomination with the Donald Trump administration in 2017.
Nye, who is currently a state district judge in Pocatello, is No. 18 on a list of 20 presidential nominees for U.S. District Court judgeships who are awaiting full Senate confirmation votes.
Crapo spokesman Lindsay Nothern noted that Nye has already won unanimous support from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“It’s imperative to Idaho that we get this other judge,” said John Sandy, the chief of staff for Risch.
The Idaho senators spent a year and a half negotiating with President Barack Obama’s administration before settling on Nye as the nominee. Nye was acceptable to Obama, a Democrat, as well as to the Republican senators.
The Idaho director for the Trump for President campaign, Layne Bangerter, is also a member of the Trump transition team. He said he doesn’t think the Idaho nominee choice will change after Trump takes office.
“I think that’s a solid process that they have gone through, and that Donald Trump would support that,” he said.
