The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, convened an executive business meeting on December 11, 2025. The agenda included votes on seven nominations: three for district judgeships and four for U.S. Attorney positions.
The nominees for district judge are Nicholas Ganjei (Southern District of Texas), David Clay Fowlkes (Western District of Arkansas), and Aaron Christian Peterson (District of Alaska). The committee also considered Darin Smith, Andrew Benson, William Boyle, and Richard Price for U.S. Attorney roles.
Senator Grassley expressed his support for all nominees and encouraged other committee members to do the same. "I look forward to supporting each of these nominees, and I urge my colleagues to join me," he said.
The CLEAR Path Act was introduced on the agenda but will be held over for future consideration.
Grassley began the meeting by honoring Specialist Sarah Beckman, who was killed while serving in the National Guard during Thanksgiving. He also mentioned Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, who was seriously injured in the same incident. "These two servicemembers were part of an effort to keep our cities and our Capitol safe. Our prayers and gratitude for their sacrifice are with them and their families," Grassley stated.
Reflecting on the committee’s work in 2025, Grassley highlighted its productivity: "So far, we’ve conducted more than 50 Committee and Subcommittee hearings. We’ve held dozens of markups, and we’ve favorably reported 23 bills." He noted that after this meeting, the committee would have voted on 84 nominees including key positions such as Attorney General, FBI Director, circuit judges, district judges, and U.S. Attorneys.
Grassley emphasized that judicial nominees have been advanced promptly: "We’ve advanced judicial nominees as fast as our Committee receives them, and we’ve confirmed more federal judges at this point than President Trump did in his first administration." He cited a report from The Heritage Foundation indicating that hearings have been held for 96% of received judicial nominations—more than any new president since 1980.
He also pointed out delays due to pending paperwork from the administration: "As with judicial nominees, I’d like to process even more U.S. Attorneys, but I’m hamstrung waiting for background investigations and other paperwork from the administration that the Committee needs to advance the nominees we haven’t moved already."
Grassley referenced a nonpartisan study comparing recent presidents' judicial appointees: "A recent nonpartisan study found that judges nominated by President Trump have outperformed those of other recent administrations in terms of productivity, quality and independence."
Turning to oversight matters, Grassley addressed Secretary Noem's refusal to appear before the committee despite previous commitments during her confirmation process: "I expect better cooperation from the Secretary early next year."
Grassley provided an update regarding a classified DHS Inspector General report about covert testing of TSA checkpoint security screening. Initially restricted to top congressional leaders only, access has now been extended to relevant committees following his demands—including Democratic Ranking Member Durbin. Grassley requested further review by the Government Accountability Office but noted that DHS has not yet granted GAO possession of the Inspector General report: "I expect Secretary Noem to iron this out."
Lastly, Grassley announced progress in an investigation called Arctic Frost: "This week, I announced that I’ve activated and authorized four subcommittees as part of my and Senator Johnson’s investigation." Oversight hearings are scheduled to begin in January with at least one full committee hearing planned.
