Feinstein wants to be replaced on the Judiciary Committee

Reply to the Twitter Dispatch about Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Future of Senate Judiciary Committees in the 2024 Democratic Primary

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday night that “per Sen. Feinstein’s wishes,” he would “ask the Senate next week to allow another Democratic Senator to temporarily serve on the Judiciary Committee.”

Feinstein had been expected to come back to Washington by the end of March, but that her return had been delayed due to continued issues with her diagnosis. She said she was going to return as soon as possible once her medical team advised that it was safe for her to travel.

The statement came after a rare instance of lawmakers urging a member of their own party to step down from Congress. California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna earlier in the day had called for her resignation – a sentiment echoed by another House Democrat on Twitter.

In order to replace her on the committee, a resolution would need to be agreed upon to name another member to the panel. Typically, members are named to committees as part of an organizing resolution at the beginning of a new Senate session.

The Illinois Democrat was asked if her absence had any ramifications for the Democrats because of the long process of getting nominees scheduled for votes.

The senator announced in February that she would not run for reelection, and a number of Democrats have already launched campaigns for Feinstein’s seat in 2024 in what is shaping up to be a competitive primary.

It’s not just California Democrats who are thinking about the future of the seat without Feinstein. Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota responded to Khanna’s Wednesday tweet saying that he agreed.

The move could help Senate Democrats advance federal judges for confirmation, but one that both parties have put a lot of focus on in recent years as the partisan divide in U.S. society grows bigger.

Schumer and Feinstein: Implications for the Senate and the Judiciary Committee from a “Small Black Woman” Candidate

Feinstein, 89, hasn’t cast a vote since Feb. 16, missing nearly 60 of the Senate’s 82 votes so far this session. She said in March that she was hospitalized with shingles and was the oldest member of Congress.

As Roll Call notes, among the declared candidates, Lee would be in the best position to benefit from Feinstein resigning early as California governor has said he would appoint a Black woman to fill the seat.

A spokesperson for Schumer says that he will “ask the Senate next week to allow another Democratic Senator to temporarily serve on the Judiciary Committee.”

It wants to confirm more judges, as well as hold a hearing on new ethical questions surrounding the Supreme Court, after a ProPublica report showed that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts from a wealthy Republican donor.