With Vice President Mike Pence casting a tiebreaking vote, Raleigh attorney Thomas Farr’s nomination to become a federal judge in North Carolina now moves forward for a full U.S. Senate confirmation.
Without this afternoon’s 51-50 procedural vote, Farr’s nomination would not have been allowed to advance to the Senate floor.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, joined all 49 Senate Democrats in opposing Farr. Flake had pledged to oppose all judicial nominations until the Senate agreed to approve legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russian agents.
All other Republicans voted in favor of the procedural step, which should pave the way for Farr’s confirmation this week. Included among the “yes” votes was Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Scott had not committed to vote for or against Farr. Scott cast the final vote this afternoon before Pence’s tiebreaker.
Democrats and liberal activist groups have taken aim at Farr. They have criticized his involvement in North Carolina’s hotly contested 1990 U.S. Senate campaign, along with his work defending N.C. Republican lawmakers in multiple redistricting cases. His supporters have pushed back against allegations that Farr was involved in “voter suppression” efforts.
Farr has been nominated four times since 2006 to fill the same judicial vacancy in North Carolina’s Eastern District. President Trump cited a “judicial emergency” in renominating Farr earlier this year. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination with an 11-10 vote in January.