U.S. Senate Democrats likely to block Halligan's nomination, Semafor reports

Source: Reuters

December 12, 2025 5:40 AM EST Updated 2 hours ago


Dec 12 (Reuters) - Virginia's Democratic senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are likely to block U.S President Donald Trump's nomination of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Semafor news site reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Halligan, 36, is a former insurance attorney who also worked as a personal lawyer for Trump after his first term in office. She was a White House aide to Trump early in his second term, and has no previous experience as a prosecutor.

On Thursday, The White House sought to advance Halligan's nomination before the Republican-controlled Senate, though it faces an uphill battle. The White House and Senators Kaine and Warner did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments.

Although Republicans control the U.S. Senate, Halligan's nomination faces major hurdles thanks to a tradition known as the "blue slip" process, in which the Senate typically defers to each state's two senators on U.S. Attorney and judicial nominations.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-democrats-likely-block-halligans-nomination-semafor-reports-2025-12-12/

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Link to Semafor article - Exclusive / Senate Democrats likely to block Trump favorite Halligan

Halligan was resubmitted for the regular nomination process (looks like he may have given up on trying again with Habba, but stuck her somewhere in DOJ).

Example of a U.S. Senate "Blue Slip" (below is a template version) -