Republicans added three new members to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Katie Britt of Alabama and Michael Crapo of Idaho, which will give Republicans a 12-10 edge over Democrats, Roll Call reports. It’s a wider gap than the 11-10 split that Democrats had on the panel in the last Congress. , Democrats still largely avoided trouble when it came to advancing President Biden’s judicial nominees.
All three of the new Republican members are lawyers. Britt is a former Senate staffer and has served on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the Justice Department, the FBI and other federal law enforcement entities. Schmitt, a former Missouri attorney general, said he’s looking forward to making sure the Justice Department and other law enforcement entities “refocus on cracking down on violent crime.” On the Democratic side will be Adam Schiff of California, who just started his Senate term.
Leaving the panel are Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA). The most immediate work for the committee will be to hold confirmation hearings for Trump’s picks for the Justice Department, including Pam Bondi, whom the president-elect has selected as attorney general. Sen. Charles Grassley, the 91-year-old Iowa Republican who will lead the committee this Congress, has said the panel would move “swiftly” to consider Bondi. Grassley had hoped to schedule the hearing for Jan. 14 but was awaiting paperwork on Bondi from the Trump transition team.