COURTS/NOMINATIONS/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Senate on Thursday [11-14-19] confirmed President Donald Trump’s judicial nominee to the powerful 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals despite bipartisan frustration over his refusal to answer questions during his confirmation hearing. In a 51-41 vote, the Senate confirmed Steven Menashi, with moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joining Democrats in voting against him. Menashi, an associate counsel to the president, faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans for declining to answer questions about his work for the White House or about his tenure as a lawyer at the Department of Education, under Secretary Betsy DeVos…In addition to his confirmation hearing performance, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized Menashi last week for a New York Times story reporting that he wrote a plan for the Department of Education to deny debt relief to students cheated by for-profit colleges.”
–Marianne Levine, “Senate confirms controversial Trump judicial nominee,” Politico, November 14, 2019 2:32 pm