Robert Chamberlin (left) and James Maxwell (right) (From Senate hearing livestream)
- The president’s nominees for the posts in Mississippi had been held up by North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reported out favorably four Mississippi presidential nominees on Thursday, two of them sitting state Supreme Court Justices nominated to serve on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
The nominations of state Supreme Court Justices Robert Chamberlin and James Maxwell as well as James Kruger and Scott Leary for U.S. Attorney posts in the Southern and Northern Mississippi districts, respectively, had been held up by North Carolina U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R) since September.
READ MORE: Chamberlin, Maxwell appear before U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
Tillis was seeking support from Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R) in his effort to recognize a North Carolina indigenous group as a tribe.
“Over the past month or so, I’ve been responsible for them not getting a vote on the committee, and I want to make sure Mr. Kruger, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Leary know it had nothing to do with the quality of their nominations,” Tillis said. “They are outstanding nominees and so I look forward to voting them out of committee today.”
Tillis then thanked Senator Wicker for working with him “on a matter where we had disagreement and we bridged the gap.”
In a statement to Magnolia Tribune after the vote, Wicker said, ““I am pleased that President Trump’s nominations to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi and for the state’s U.S. Attorneys have passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. Justices Chamberlin and Maxwell and Messrs Kruger and Leary are highly-qualified individuals. They will uphold the law, defend the Constitution, and serve Mississippi well. I look forward to voting for their confirmations on the Senate floor.”
When Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R) of Iowa called for a vote on the nominees, Chamberlain, Maxwell and Kruger passed on a straight partisan vote 12-10, while Leary drew five Democrat votes in support 17-5.
The Mississippi nominations by President Donald Trump (R) now head to the full Senate for a vote.
Mississippi’s other U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) said after the vote that she very glad to see their nominations progress in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Their commitment to the law and their strong legal expertise will be key assets as their nominations, and those of our outstanding U.S. Attorney nominees, are scheduled for confirmation by the full Senate. I look forward to seeing this process move forward soon,” Hyde-Smith shared on X.
As for the matter between Tillis and Wicker, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has now taken up the Lumbee Fairness Act, legislation that would grant the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina full federal recognition and the same benefits afforded to other federally recognized tribes.
“This issue has come before Congress many times over the decades, but never with this level of unity and support. These days, it’s rare to see Republicans and Democrats come together on anything. But when it comes to Lumbee recognition, the support is overwhelming and it’s bipartisan. We’re talking about support from President Donald J. Trump, President Biden, Vice President J.D. Vance, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Josh Stein, the North Carolina General Assembly and nearly every member of our state’s congressional delegation,” Tillis said in a statement earlier this month. “Here in the Senate, nearly two dozen members from both parties have co-sponsored the Lumbee Fairness Act, including Senator Schatz and Senator Mullin, who sit together on this very committee, and maybe most remarkable, more than 235 federally recognized tribes have stood with the Lumbee people, including the Alaska Federation of Natives, representing 186 tribes and corporations.”
Frank Corder
