Politics

Judicial Nominee Accused Of Voter Suppression Loses Key Vote

It's been more than a year since Thomas Farr was first nominated by the president for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Judicial Nominee Accused Of Voter Suppression Loses Key Vote
Senate Judiciary Committee

Republican Sen. Tim Scott announced Thursday he would vote against controversial judicial nominee Thomas Farr, effectively scuttling his nomination

Scott's announcement comes days after The Washington Post published a Justice Department memo from 1991. That memo detailed Farr's involvement in a Senate campaign that was accused of attempting to intimidate black voters in North Carolina. 

Even before the memo leaked, civil rights groups had raised concerns about Farr's support for a 2013 voter ID law in that state, which a federal judge later ruled specifically discriminated against black voters.

Sen. Chuck Schumer had already announced all Democratic senators would vote against Farr. Then on Thursday, Sen. Jeff Flake announced he wouldn't support Farr either. Scott's announcement means Farr doesn't have the votes to be confirmed.

Additional reporting by Newsy affiliate CNN