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Nov. 30 (UPI) -- South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott announced Thursday that he would oppose Thomas Farr's nomination as a federal judge, all but ending his chance to advance in this Congressional session. Farr has been one of Trump's more controversial nominees for the bench. The Washington Post wrote about a 1991 Justice Department memo last week citing Farr's connection in "ballot security" activities in the re-election of North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms in 1984 and 1990.
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The department under Republican President George H.W. Bush investigated the Holmes campaign for voter intimidation charges against blacks and settled the case with a consent decree.
"This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr's activities," Scott wrote in a statement, Politico reported.
"This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr's nomination."
Outgoing Arizona U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake had already announced his opposition to Farr.
It was the second time Scott, the lone African-American Republican in the Senate, sank one of Trump judicial nominees. This summer, Scott and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio rejected Ryan Bounds for a federal judgeship after examining his writings on race, forcing the White House to withdraw the nomination.
Trump is now left with moving on from Farr for the North Carolina-based bench seat that has been open since 2006, or re-nominating him next year when Republicans will hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate.
"I'm disappointed that my colleagues didn't reach the same conclusion as the American Bar Association, which unanimously awarded Tom Farr with its highest rating for his impeccable qualifications and character, a testament to being a widely respected lawyer deeply committed to the fair and equal application of the law," North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis told McClatchy in a statement.
