1 Judiciary: Feinstein won’t seek top role on Senate committee.
SACRAMENTO — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will not seek the top Democratic position on the highprofile Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, a move that comes after some progressives said she had not been tough enough on GOP nominees.
“After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” Feinstein said in a statement Monday afternoon.
Feinstein, 87, has been Democrats’ ranking member on the committee since 2017.
She said she will remain on the committee, and focus on other policy areas, such as the pandemic and “confronting two existential threats” harming California due to climate change: wildfire and drought.
“In the next Congress, I plan to increase my attention on those two crucial issues,” Feinstein said. “I will continue to do my utmost to bring about positive change in the coming years.”
“Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee must be led by someone who will not wishfully cling to a bygone era of civility and decorum.” Brian Fallon, Demand Justice
Some progressive leaders have called for Feinstein to step down after Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Feinstein was criticized for not being more assertive with Republicans, with whom she often engaged in pleasantries.
“This has been one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” Feinstein told committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS. C., whom she hugged at the end of the hearings. “I want to thank you for your fairness.”
Coney Barrett’s confirmation was virtually guaranteed as President Trump’s nominee, given that Republicans control the committee. But progressive advocates say Feinstein had failed to set a narrative by not complaining enough about the rushed process.
Brian Fallon, director of Demand Justice, an organization that works to push the judiciary to the left, said the committee’s next ranking member must be ready to fight for Presidentelect Joe Biden’s nominees.
“Going forward, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee must be led by someone who will not wishfully cling to a bygone era of civility and decorum that Republicans abandoned long ago,” Fallon said in a statement.
Control of the Judiciary Committee, and the Senate more broadly, is in play with runoff contests planned for two Georgia Senate seats. Republicans must hold at least one of the seats to have a majority.
By stepping aside, Feinstein assured she won’t be center stage as a Biden administration tries to get its nominees through a tightly divided Senate.
The Judiciary Committee is the clearinghouse for both key nominations and important policy. It has jurisdiction over judges and the Justice Department, ensuring that fights over confirmations and legislation on topics including gun violence, criminal justice and immigration all run through it.
Feinstein helped author some of the committee’s consequential bills, including those on assault weapons and violence against women.
Supporters say she has vigorously fought Republican attacks on Senate rules.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN. Y., thanked Feinstein for holding the committee’s top Democratic post.
“Senator Feinstein’s experience, decadeslong relationship with Presidentelect Biden, and leadership on so many issues will continue to be an asset for our caucus,” Schumer said in a statement.