Tim Scott still opposes Thomas Farr, Trump judicial nominee, after meeting

Sen. Tim Scott, the Republican who derailed one of President Trump’s judicial nominees last year, met with the man Wednesday — but said he still opposes his confirmation to the court.

Thomas Farr, didn’t receive a final floor vote last year after allegations of racism were lobbed against him and Mr. Scott, the chamber’s lone black Republican, withheld his support.

Mr. Scott said he took the meeting on Capitol Hill as a courtesy to Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, who is a staunch supporter of Mr. Farr. But it didn’t change his mind.

Mr. Scott also received a letter from conservative activists urging him to reconsider his opposition to Mr. Farr, who the president is eyeing for a district judgeship in North Carolina.

“Why they have chosen to expend so much energy on this particular nomination I do not know, but what I do know is they have not spent anywhere near as much time on true racial reconciliation efforts, decrying comments by those like (Republican U.S. Rep.) Steve King, or working to move our party together towards a stronger, more unified future,” Mr. Scott told McClatchy.

He was referencing controversial remarks Iowa lawmaker Mr. King made about white supremacists during an interview earlier this month, which some took to be a defense of white supremacy.

As the GOP’s lone black senator, Mr. Scott’s opposition to Mr. Farr makes it difficult for the president to renominate the attorney this year.

Mr. Scott decided he couldn’t support the nominee after seeing a Justice Department memo related to Mr. Farr’s work in the Jesse Helms campaign.

Democrats also questioned Mr. Farr’s work as a lawyer defending North Carolina’s voter ID law. A federal appeals court said that law had targeted black voters “with almost surgical precision.”

Mr. Farr’s nomination was the longest pending under Mr. Trump, and the North Carolina judgeship to which he was nominated has been vacant since 2005.

President George W. Bush first nominated Mr. Farr for the post in 2006, but Democrats declined to take action, and his pick expired at the end of the Bush administration.

President Obama then named two different black women for the seat, but they were blocked by GOP objections.

Democrats call that a travesty — particularly on a court that’s never had a black judge, despite a population where perhaps three in 10 residents are black.