Dianne Feinstein casts first votes for Biden nominees upon Senate return

Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, aiding in advancing President Joe Biden's stalled judicial nominees as questions swirl about her health.

Feinstein was met with applause as she entered the hearing room after being welcomed back by Chairman Dick Durbin.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is welcomed back to the Senate Judiciary Committee with applause from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, left, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, right, following a more than two-month absence as she was being treated for a case of shingles, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 11, 2023.J. Scott Applewhite/AP

With her votes, district judge nominees Charnelle Bjelkengren, S. Kato Crews and Marian Gaston were advanced after months of delay. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday also advanced three fresher nominees, sending a total of six nominations to the full Senate during Feinstein's reappearance in the chamber.

On Wednesday, Feinstein went to the Senate floor to vote to confirm Glenna Laureen Wright-Gallo, Biden's pick to be an assistant secretary at the Education Department.

MORE: Sen. Dianne Feinstein makes long-awaited return to Capitol

Feinstein's monthslong absence as she recovered from shingles impacted some of Biden's judicial picks from moving forward, prompting Democrats to seek to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee and some to call for her resignation. Republicans blocked the attempt to seat someone else on the committee during her absence.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein takes her seat as people applaud, at a business hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, May 11, 2023, in Washington, D.C. It was Feinstein’s first hearing after fighting a case of shingles and being absent from the Senate for several months.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Feinstein said earlier this month that she was "disappointed" that Republicans on the panel were blocking some nominees from advancing.

Democrats hold a 11-10 majority on the committee, and a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate — making every vote critical for the party to advance nominees. Durbin, speaking about the California senator during an appearance on CNN on Sunday, said he wanted to treat her "fairly" but "the bottom line is, the business of the committee and of the Senate is affected by her absence."

"We're glad to see her back," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of Feinstein during Thursday's briefing.

Committee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin shakes hands with Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she arrives and takes her seat at a business hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, May 10, 2023, in Washington, D.C.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Feinstein's nonattendance spurred debate about aging politicians. The senator, who has served California in the chamber for three decades, has waved off questions about her cognitive and physical abilities.

MORE: Democrats' Dianne Feinstein dilemma raises specter of RBG: ANALYSIS

Feinstein returned to Washington earlier this week. She was greeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as she arrived at the Capitol in a wheelchair on Wednesday, marking her first day on the Hill since February.

The California Democrat told reporters she was feeling "much better" as she entered the building.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein returns to the U.S. Capitol after a health related absence from the Senate for several months, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., May 10, 2023.Leah Millis/Reuters

The senator, who at 89 is the oldest sitting member of Congress, has noted she is working on a "lighter schedule" per her doctors' orders.

"Even though I've made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I'm still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I'm hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover," Feinstein said in a statement on Wednesday.

Feinstein has said she will retire at the end of her term. Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee are among the Democrats who have declared their candidacy for the vacated seat in 2024.

Sourse: abcnews.go.com