DEMOCRATS ADVANCE SEVEN BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEES WITH GOP SUPPORT IN FEINSTEIN’S ABSENCE
From WWW.NBCNEWS.COM WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats advanced seven of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees through committee on Thursday with Republican votes, shelving others that lack bipartisan backing with Sen. Dianne Feinstein absent. The move by Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., marks a change in course after he had repeatedly delayed meetings since early March to advance a package of judges, lacking the decisive vote of Feinstein, D-Calif., who is out indefinitely on medical leave. “We wish our colleague, Sen. Feinstein, a speedy recovery and return,” Durbin said. “We hope she’ll be back in the Senate very soon. Today’s agenda includes a number of judicial nominees who have been sitting on the agenda for some time. Some have bipartisan support. There’s nothing to prevent us from calling and voting on these nominees today.” The panel voted to advance Mónica Ramírez Almadani and Wesley Hsu to be district court judges in California; Jeffrey Irvine Cummings and La