GOP Senators Stall Trump Judicial Picks as Oval Office Named Monument

In the wake of the November 3 midterm elections in which Democrats secured projected control of both the House and the Senate, Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee are blocking several White House judicial nominees over home-state consultation rules, even as President Donald Trump used his initial post-election appearances to sign a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument and pledge veto power over incoming Democratic legislation.

According to KCBS Radio, outgoing Texas Sen. John Cornyn and retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis are using their seats on the Senate Judiciary Committee—chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa—to enforce senatorial prerogative on judicial selections during the final weeks of the Republican majority. Tillis told the Associated Press that his message to the White House was, "Don't treat us like a manufacturing facility. Treat us like the U.S. Senate." On Tuesday, the White House abruptly pulled the nomination of federal district judge Lee Rudofsky of Arkansas to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals after Cornyn and Tillis privately informed Grassley that they would vote against Rudofsky in committee. Neither of Arkansas's Republican senators, John Boozman and Tom Cotton, had signed off on Rudofsky for the appeals seat; they had supported Arkansas Supreme Court associate justice Cody Hiland, who said in August remarks at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that he underwent FBI vetting for the appeals vacancy before declining a lower district court offer, though Hiland was later nominated alongside Rudofsky's withdrawal.

Grassley was also forced on Tuesday to postpone a committee vote on Oklahoma district court nominee Zachary West, a former Senate counsel to Sen. Ted Cruz now serving in the Oklahoma attorney general's office, after Tillis objected on behalf of appointed Oklahoma Sen. Alan Armstrong. Armstrong, who replaced Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and serves until newly elected Sen. Kevin Hern is sworn in on November 30, said the White House ignored other recommended candidates. In Texas, Cornyn raised concerns about fast-tracking Elliot Gaiser, head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, who was contacted by Cruz's staff on November 4 for a Dallas federal judgeship without review by Texas's bipartisan federal judicial evaluation committee and who previously advised Trump's 2020 campaign on election challenges. As of Wednesday, 24 judicial nominations remained pending while the Senate has confirmed 57 judges in Trump's second term—including 10 appeals court judges, 46 district judges, and one member of the Court of International Trade—as Grassley and outgoing Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota urge rapid confirmations and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York vows Democrats will oppose unvetted picks.

White House National Monument Proclamation

Meanwhile, NBC Bay Area reported that Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument to block significant changes by future presidents. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, which he redecorated with gold furnishings after returning to office last year, Trump said the designation would be sent to Congress for ratification and that any "major modifications" to the Oval Office and Cabinet Room would require approval by Congress. While the White House has been a U.S. National Historic Landmark since 1960, the proclamation states that future presidents may still redecorate, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications provided they do not substantially impair the historic structure or architectural character.

Thursday's signing followed a Wednesday media appearance at the construction site for a new White House ballroom on the grounds of the demolished East Wing, as well as a Monday campaign speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which had been closed since July for renovation upgrades.

Post-Midterm Assessments and Veto Strategy

In his earliest remarks on the election outcome, ABC7 News reported that Trump told Fox News on Tuesday he was "a little bit surprised" by the Democratic victories after campaigning in districts he won in 2024. In a phone interview with Politico and posts on social media, Trump attributed the losses in part to high gas prices stemming from the war in Iran and voter dissatisfaction with certain Republican candidates. Trump had endorsed Ken Paxton over Cornyn in the Texas Senate GOP primary and backed Darline Graham in South Carolina's special election to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham's seat; both Paxton and Graham were projected to lose on Tuesday, while Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa was projected to defeat incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his bid for a fourth term.

While telling Politico he would consider working with Democrats on matters such as immigration, Trump posted an image of a red hat reading "VETO" on Tuesday night and reiterated his warning that he would act as "Mr. Veto," telling Fox News that if Democrats send over "50 different great bills that they're all excited about," he can return them with a stamp veto.