Biden Judicial Nominations Machine Slows Amid New Hiccups

Illness-related lawmaker absences and nominee controversies have derailed Democratic plans to speed up consideration of judicial nominations this year with their outright Senate majority.

The Judiciary Committee has canceled meetings and postponed votes to get nominees to the floor. While nearly two dozen were confirmed from the first week in February through the end of March, Democrats were unable to push through some of the most high-profile nominees.

“There are a number of things coming together that are making it more frustrating to move people to confirmation,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who studies ...