Urge U.S. Senate to Retire "Blue Slips"
February 2, 2026
Dear Friends,
Should the president of the United States be able to appoint the men and women he wants to serve on federal circuit courts and as U.S. attorneys?
To me, the answer seems obvious: Of course he should!
Constitutionally, of course, many positions require Senate confirmation. But that should be by a vote of the entire Senate.
In reality, individual senators from the nominee’s home state often have the power to veto such a confirmation and sink a president’s nominees to these posts.
President Trump wants to change that, and I’m with him. Read on to see if you are, too.
Both of the senators in a nominee’s home state are empowered to submit what’s known as a “blue slip” to indicate whether they approve or disapprove of the candidate.
This is not in the Constitution. What IS in the Constitution is the consent of the Senate, not a blue-slip veto by a single Senator.
Blue slips bedeviled former President Barack Obama as he nominated judges to the circuit courts. Only one judicial candidate was felled by blue slips during the Biden administration, but President Trump lost at least three nominees during his first administration, and two so far in his second term.
He has decried the practice on social media as “not constitutional” and has approached Sen. Majority Leader John Thune about scrapping it.
I’m with the president on this. There is no constitutional basis for the practice and it grants individual senators disproportionate power over lifetime appointments.
So what happens is that a judge or US attorney may be well qualified, ready to implement the agenda we voted for, and even have the support of the President and most Senators. But if one left-wing lunatic Democrat (but I repeat myself) Senator in their home state wants to block them for partisan motives, they don’t get the job.
Ending blue slips would ensure that judicial nominees rise or fall based on their qualifications, judicial philosophy, and ethics, and the decision of the President we elected, rather than senatorial courtesy or partisan maneuvering.
Blue slips leave important positions unfilled. People have to wait for years to have their rights vindicated in Court. And crime doesn’t get punished in a timely way, if at all, when US Attorneys are not in place in a similarly timely way.
The power of the blue slips varies depending on which party controls the Senate and the White House, making them nothing more than a partisan tool. Abolishing the practice would create a uniform standard for all nominees, regardless of political context.
If, like me, you agree with President Trump that it’s time to do away with the blue slip, there’s a way you can help.
When you click this link, you’ll be taken to a page where you can signal your intention to call your senators, Republican and Democrat, to urge them to end the blue slip practice once and for all.
Presidents should have the right to appoint the people they want to serve, and the whole Senate should have the opportunity to consent to that nomination.
As always, my heartfelt thanks for your willingness to help this life-saving effort.
Regards,
Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life