Sen. John Fetterman has reportedly decided not to block Antonio Pozos, letting President Donald Trump’s nominee for a federal judgeship in Pennsylvania move forward.
The move would make Fetterman the first Democrat in the Senate to allow one of Trump’s federal district court nominees to advance during Trump’s second term, a notable break from the usual playbook in Pennsylvania, where senators can use the blue slip process to stall a nominee for a seat in their state.
Pozos is Trump’s pick for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is a partner at the Philadelphia law firm Faegre Drinker, a former federal prosecutor and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School. A spokesperson confirmed the move to Punchbowl News and, while Fetterman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The nomination is expected to reach the Senate Judiciary Committee as soon as next week. Pozos sat for an interview with Sen. Dave McCormick in March, part of the process that can precede a committee review when both senators from a state are on board.
The blue slip courtesy dates back more than 100 years, but it remains one of the Senate’s most practical tools for stopping district court nominees at the state level. Fetterman has not said whether he will ultimately vote to confirm Pozos, leaving the most consequential step still open even as he allows the nomination to move ahead.
The decision also fits a broader pattern for Fetterman, who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and Trump’s war in Iran and last month cast the deciding vote against limiting the president’s ability to continue the conflict without congressional approval. He also called on Democrats to “drop the TDS,” and said last month that when he agrees with something, he is going to vote for it or support it. Among Democrats, he has opposed the fewest Trump nominees, seven, though he did not cast votes for four.
That makes the immediate development clear: Pozos can advance, and Fetterman has chosen not to stand in the way. What remains unresolved is whether the Pennsylvania Democrat will go further and back Trump’s nominee when the confirmation fight reaches the floor.
