Tim Scott announces opposition to controversial judicial pick, sinking his nomination
Republican Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina, said he would oppose the nomination of Thomas Farr to become a federal judge in North Carolina, joining Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and all 49 Democrats in the Senate, ensuring that the controversial judge will not be confirmed. Scott's decision, announced the day after he voted in favor of advancing Farr's nomination in a procedural vote, was first reported by The State.
Farr had been accused by Democrats of engaging in voter suppression, meaning that his placement would be critical in a state plagued with voting rights controversies. In 2016, a federal court ruled that a voter-ID law enacted by the state legislature was intended to disenfranchise black voters "with almost surgical precision." Scott said in a statement that his decision to oppose Farr stemmed from a recently released Justice Department memo during George H.W. Bush's administration detailing Farr's role in voter intimidation in a 1984 campaign.
In 1984 and 1990, Farr worked on the campaign of Jesse Helms, a conservative North Carolina senator who opposed the Voting Rights Act and busing to integrate schools. Farr spearheaded an effort to send intimidating postcards to primarily black precincts in the 1984 campaign, warning of possible arrest at the polls.
"This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr's activities. This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr's nomination," Scott said in a statement. Scott is the only black member of the Republican caucus in the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released a statement praising Scott for his decision, saying that he had "done a courageous thing, and he's done the right thing."
Farr was nominated for the seat by President Trump in 2017 and again in 2018.
Regardless of his opinion on Farr, Scott is a reliably conservative Republican vote, and said in his statement that he was "ready and willing to support strong candidates for our judicial vacancies that do not have lingering concerns about issues that could affect their decision-making process as a federal judge." This is not the first time his opposition has been influential in the judicial nomination process. When he opposed judicial nominee Ryan Bounds earlier this year because of his past insensitive remarks on diversity, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ultimately withdrew Bounds' nomination shortly before the vote.
While Scott's opposition is based on the memo, Flake is opposing all judicial nominations until GOP leadership agrees to consider legislation which would protect the special counsel's investigation.
