Senator Mike Crapo is not giving up on his push to get a vote on Pocatello judge David Nye's nomination to the U.S. District Court of Idaho. Nye was selected to fill a vacant seat on the court in April. Since then, he’s survived questions from the senate judiciary committee, and has been waiting to get a full vote from the Senate. Crapo is hopeful Nye's nomination can come to a vote during the current lame duck session.
“All of them have come out of committee," says Crapo. "All of them are ready for a vote on the floor. And 18 of the 20 of them I understand – including Judge Nye – came out unanimously. So there’s broad support for them, and my hope is that we’ll be able to move it.”
If approved, Nye would join Chief District Judge Lynn Winmill – who has been the only judge on the court for more than a year. But Crapo says even if Congress doesn’t move on his nomination during the lame duck session, there are ways to quickly get Nye approved once President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.
“The committee has already completed one full evaluation, so that process could move forward much more rapidly. And hopefully we would be able to move much more quickly than your traditional nomination.”
Crapo says besides Nye’s approval, he hopes Congress will pass an energy and water bill that both have ramifications in Idaho.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
Copyright 2016 Boise State Public Radio
