SOME PROGRESS – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  The Dems have created a logjam in the Senate, making it impossible for President Trump's excellent court nominations to be approved.  Now there may be action by the Republican majority to break that logjam.  Even Mitch McConnell seems interested.  From The Hill:

Momentum is building in the Senate for doing away with an arcane rule that allows senators to block some of President Trump’s judicial nominees.

The “blue-slip” rule — a precedent upheld by Senate tradition — allows a home-state senator to stop a lower-court nominee by refusing to return a sheet of paper, known as a blue slip, to the Judiciary Committee.

Conservatives have clamored for months to get rid of the rule, arguing Democrats are abusing the process to block qualified nominees.

They recently gained a powerful ally: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), at least when it comes to picks for the U.S. courts of appeals. 

"My personal view is that the blue slip, with regard to circuit court appointments, ought to simply be a notification of how you’re going to vote, not the opportunity to blackball,” McConnell told The New York Times.

He added that he supports keeping the blue slip rule for district court judges, whose decisions can get appealed to the circuit court.

COMMENT:  Okay, now let's see some action.  Giving the country a more conservative federal court system should be a priority goal of the Republican Congress. 

Many congressional Republicans don't seem to realize how critical the 2018 midterm elections will be.  If Republicans cannot present to the American people a record of real accomplishment, they could lose control of at least the House, and possibly the Senate as well.  And a third party, possibly led by Donald Trump, could be born.

September 17, 2017