GOP Senator Blocks One Of Trump’s Picks For Federal Judiciary

Sen. Marsha Blackburn is holding up President Donald Trump’s nominee for a federal judgeship in Tennessee, creating an unexpected obstacle for the White House from one of the president’s most dependable Senate allies.

The Tennessee Republican has not returned the blue slip required for Samuel Adkisson’s nomination to proceed through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her decision has stalled consideration of the White House attorney despite support from Tennessee’s other senator and prominent figures in conservative legal circles.

Adkisson was expected to appear at a committee hearing Wednesday but did not participate because Blackburn had not approved moving his nomination forward, according to multiple reports.

Blackburn has offered no public explanation.

Her office did not respond to inquiries from Bloomberg Law and Reuters, leaving a central question unanswered: whether she opposes Adkisson outright or is withholding approval while pursuing additional information or concessions.

That uncertainty matters because her action prevents the committee from advancing the nomination under its current practice without establishing that she would ultimately vote against confirmation.

The blue-slip tradition gives home-state senators substantial influence over nominations to federal district courts.

The Judiciary Committee sends each senator representing the nominee’s state a blue form requesting a position on the selection. Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, continues to require favorable responses from both home-state senators before proceeding with district court nominees.

Blackburn’s unsigned form therefore represents a significant procedural barrier, even with Republicans controlling the committee and Trump backing the nominee.

The president formally nominated Adkisson on September 14 to succeed retiring U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan in the Eastern District of Tennessee. The nomination was referred to the Judiciary Committee and has not advanced further.

Adkisson currently serves as an associate counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office and a special assistant to the president.

A 2018 Yale Law School graduate, he has built a résumé that includes work on a major Supreme Court confirmation fight, clerkships with prominent federal judges and private practice at firms known for substantial litigation work.

He worked for Grassley during Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 Supreme Court confirmation proceedings before clerking for Judge Gregory Katsas on the D.C. Circuit and Judge Amul Thapar on the Sixth Circuit.

He later clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts.

Adkisson also practiced at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Cooper & Kirk before joining Trump’s White House in 2025.

When announcing the nomination, Trump highlighted Adkisson’s service to the administration, including work on Trump v. Slaughter, the Supreme Court case concerning presidential authority to remove members of independent federal agencies.

Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty publicly endorsed the nomination and pledged to help secure confirmation.

“He will bring Volunteer State values to the bench and uphold the high standards of our federal judiciary,” Hagerty said.

Adkisson’s Senate questionnaire indicates that both Tennessee senators had opportunities to evaluate him before the nomination.

He interviewed with staff members for Hagerty and Blackburn and later met personally with both senators earlier this year before interviewing with the White House Counsel’s Office.

That sequence makes Blackburn’s current position particularly notable. The nomination followed discussions involving her office, yet the senator has not publicly identified what is preventing her from allowing a hearing.

The White House has responded by maintaining its support for Adkisson.

“Sam Adkisson is one of the brightest young conservative lawyers in the country and has been a standout member of the White House Counsel’s Office,” spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. “He will make an outstanding judge on the Eastern District of Tennessee.”

Conservative advocates have also begun applying public pressure.

Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project and a Trump ally, characterized Blackburn’s decision as a “grave mistake.” He described Adkisson as a “brilliant, conservative, bold, and fearless pick for the federal bench.”

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who also previously worked for the Judiciary Committee, urged senators to confirm him.

“Sam is a generational talent and should be swiftly confirmed,” Ferguson said.

Those endorsements underscore why the hold has attracted attention beyond Tennessee. Adkisson has support from figures closely associated with the conservative legal movement, while the senator preventing his nomination from proceeding has generally been a reliable partner in confirming Trump’s judges.

Blackburn serves on the Judiciary Committee and has supported other Trump nominees connected to her state.

She backed Brian Lea for the Western District of Tennessee and Ben Flowers, who was confirmed to the Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Tennessee.

Her position on Adkisson therefore stands apart from that broader record. It does not, on its own, demonstrate a wider break with Trump’s judicial agenda.

For now, however, the practical effect is clear: Adkisson cannot move through the committee under Grassley’s district-court policy without Blackburn’s favorable blue slip.

The missed hearing adds delay to a nomination that still requires committee consideration and Senate action. With Blackburn’s reasoning undisclosed and the White House continuing to defend its choice, the immediate question is whether the dispute can be resolved before that delay becomes a larger obstacle to confirmation.