By Charlie McCarthy | Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 10:33 AM EST
President Donald Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to take action to terminate the “scam” of judicial “blue slips.” In a Truth Social post Thursday morning, Trump warned that the Senate’s informal blue-slip custom is enabling Democrat senators to quietly veto his nominees for federal judgeships and U.S. attorney posts, even in states with Republican majorities.
Trump stated that the practice has made it impossible for qualified Republicans to be approved as judges or U.S. attorneys in any state where a single Democratic senator holds sway. “It’s OVER for that very well qualified Republican candidate,” he said, noting that one Democrat’s objection results in the nomination being terminated.
The former president blasted the tradition as “unfair to Republicans and not Constitutional” and directly appealed to Thune, whom he called “a fantastic guy,” to push for its termination. Blue slips are an informal practice where home-state senators can block nominees by refusing to return a paper approving the pick.
Trump argued that Democrats exploit this custom to demand partisan prosecutors and judges, while Republicans have been overly deferential. “Only a really far left Democrat can be approved,” he said, adding that “too many GREAT REPUBLICANS are being SENT PACKIN’.”
Trump has raised concerns about blue slips for months. At an October GOP Senate luncheon in the newly remodeled Rose Garden, he told Republican senators the practice is “unfair to the public” and effectively grants appointment power to “obstructionists” within the minority.
With only one Democrat senator, Trump said, they often declare, “We’re not approving that person.” Due to the blue-slip rule, he must inform a candidate after three months: “I’m sorry, you’ll have to leave.” He noted that about 10 of his “phenomenal” U.S. attorney nominees from top law schools are currently facing this outcome.
One notable example occurred in New Jersey, where Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney, Alina Habba, was blocked by the state’s two Democratic senators. Habba’s 120-day acting term was effectively voided by a Third Circuit ruling, and a lower-ranking prosecutor was briefly installed before being removed by then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump cited her case as evidence that qualified Republicans are being driven out of office through partisan games. At the Rose Garden event, he praised Thune and GOP leaders for earlier rule changes that accelerated over 175 judicial confirmations and urged them to demonstrate similar resolve on U.S. attorney and judicial appointments.
Ending blue slips, Trump argued, would restore the Constitution’s vision: A president empowered to select judges and prosecutors who face a straightforward up-or-down vote rather than quiet vetoes by left-leaning senators.
