Tag: Roadblock

The path forward for a Georgia judicial pick now appears to be clear after a GOP senator dropped his hold on her nomination. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley indicated on Thursday morning that his panel would soon move to advance Britt Grant’s nomination for the powerful 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. “I have confidence she’ll make an excellent appellate judge.” Grassley’s comments came after U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announced he was dropping his hold on President Donald Trump’s circuit court nominees. Grant’s nomination had been held up by Flake for the better part of two months as he sought a vote on tariff-related issues and travel restrictions to Cuba. His blockade infuriated Georgia U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue, who vouched for Grant, a 40-year-old state Supreme Court justice, at her confirmation hearing. Isakson on Thursday said Grant would be "an excellent addition to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals." An Atlanta native, Grant worked for then-Congressman Nathan Deal and in the George W. Bush administration before rising to become Georgia’s solicitor general and eventually a state Supreme Court justice. Her credentials, however, have drawn criticism from some civil rights groups, which have cited her work on abortion-related issues and the Voting Rights Act while Georgia’s solicitor general. Read more: Trump packs influential Atlanta court with conservative judges Isakson, Perdue livid about blocked Georgia judicial pick