Brian Fallon, a former spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, blasted Senate Democrats for letting Republicans easily confirm several judicial nominees.
The nominees for district court judgeship, who were put forward by President Donald Trump, will be able to serve on the bench for the rest of their lives.
Schumer made a deal with Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) to bypass the normal 30 hour waiting period for each nominee and allow for confirmation so senators could go home earlier than scheduled, HuffPost reports.
Why? So Democrats could get back to campaigning and focusing on winning re-election in November. The Senate is now out of session until next Tuesday.
Of the 15 nominees, six were confirmed by voice votes on Tuesday. Another one was confirmed on a recorded vote. The remaining eight will get quick votes next week.
Fallon, the executive director of progressive advocacy group Demand Justice, said the deal was indicative of "how myopic the Democrats' approach has been."
"Trading this many lifetime positions away for a couple days back home in the dead of August is a metaphor for how myopic the Democrats’ approach has been at this dark moment in history," Fallon said.
"An entire branch of government is being lost for generations, and Senate Democrats are willfully blind to it," Fallon said. "In the coming months and years, these same Democrats will issue outraged statements about the rulings issued by the very judges that they could not be bothered to try to slow down. It is pathetic."
Confirming Trump's judicial nominees has been a priority for McConnell and Senate Republicans as the appointments will have lasting effects on the American judiciary. In addition to the district court nominees, the Senate will soon begin hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, Trump's second high court nomination.