The Senate Judiciary Committee called off a Thursday hearing to advance nearly two dozen Circuit and District Court nominees amid a standoff with outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake.
The committee was set to vote on the nominees, as well as some bipartisan bills. But Flake is standing strong in his promise not to vote for judiciary nominees until a bipartisan measure protecting special council Robert Mueller gets a floor vote.
The bill would make it harder for Mueller to be fired. It was advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year but has since been put on hold.
Flake, along with Sens. Chris Coons and Cory Booker, tried to force a floor vote on Wednesday but were blocked by Sen. Mike Lee, who said the legislation was unconstitutional.
It's unclear when or if Thursday's planned hearing will be rescheduled.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
