The Senate confirmed a controversial circuit court pick for President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE on Thursday, over the objection of two home-state senators.

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Senators voted 51-41 on Steven Menashi's nomination to be a judge on the 2nd Circuit. The vote was strictly party-line aside from Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Poll: 57 percent of Americans think next president, Senate should fill Ginsburg vacancy On The Trail: Making sense of this week's polling tsunami MORE (R-Maine), who opposed Menashi's nomination.

Republicans praised Menashi ahead of the vote, arguing he was the latest example of the qualified judicial nominees coming from the Trump administration.

“Mr. Menashi won majority support from the Judiciary Committee on the basis of strong academic and legal qualifications — degrees from Dartmouth and Stanford, clerkships on the appellate level and the Supreme Court, and experience in both teaching and practicing law," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' House to vote on resolution affirming peaceful transition of power Republican lawyers brush off Trump's election comments MORE (R-Ky.) said ahead of the vote.

Menashi earned bipartisan criticism during his Judiciary Committee hearing for refusing to answer senators' questions about his work in the Trump administration. But Sen. John Kennedy John Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.), viewed as a potential swing vote on the panel, announced earlier this month that he would support the nomination.

Menashi also earned pushback from outside progressive groups, as well as Democrats, because of his college writings for the conservative Dartmouth Review and his work in the administration, including on a plan to use Social Security data to limit student debt relief.

During his time as a White House lawyer, he also worked in collaboration with controversial senior adviser Stephen Miller Stephen MillerSpecial counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report Trump confirms another White House staffer tested positive for COVID-19 Biden pick creates furor, underscoring bitterness over Obama immigration policy MORE.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Cruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish MORE (D-N.Y.) lashed out at Menashi ahead of Thursday's vote, saying he's "one of the most contemptible nominees to come before the Senate" and a "disgrace."

"Mr. Menashi is a textbook example of someone who does not deserve to sit on the federal bench, particularly with a lifetime appointment," he said.

Neither Schumer nor Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten GillibrandSunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election Suburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Jon Stewart urges Congress to help veterans exposed to burn pits MORE (D-N.Y.) returned their blue slip on Menashi's nomination — a piece of paper that indicates if they support the nomination.

It makes Menashi the latest judge to be confirmed by Republicans despite missing a blue slip from one or both home-state senators. Republicans confirmed the first circuit pick ever not to receive a blue slip from either home-state senator earlier this year.

Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to defang the minority by moving nominations without support from home-state senators. Republicans counter that Democrats are trying to lean on the blue slip because the Senate, when controlled by Democrats, got rid of the 60-vote threshold for executive nominations and most judicial picks.

The blue-slip rule — a precedent upheld by Senate tradition — has historically allowed a home-state senator to block a lower-court nominee by refusing to return the blue slip to the Judiciary Committee.

How strictly the precedent is upheld is decided by the committee chairman, and enforcement has varied depending on who wields the gavel.