Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has defended her absence from the Senate due to shingles, stating that there has been no slowdown in confirming President Joe Biden's judicial nominees. She has blamed Republicans for blocking a few nominees from moving forward in the Senate judiciary committee, and expressed confidence that when she returns, the remaining qualified nominees will be able to move quickly to the Senate floor for a vote. Despite her absence, the Senate has confirmed over 100 judicial nominees since Biden took office in January.