Absent Senate Democrats Complicate Biden Court Confirmations (1)

Health-related absences among Democratic senators are making it harder to advance judicial nominees in an already narrowly divided chamber.

Vice President Kamala Harris cast her first tiebreaking votes to confirm two of President Joe Biden’s judicial selections this week. And Democrats on Thursday also canceled a Judiciary Committee markup, where votes on nominees were scheduled, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) out.

The challenges come as Feinstein and fellow Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) attend to health issues, and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) has been out after his mother died.

While judicial selections are still advancing—six nominees to district courts were confirmed ...