Thurmond rule

The Thurmond rule in U.S. politics posits that, at some point in a U.S. presidential election year, the U.S. Senate should not confirm the president's nominees to the federal judiciary, except under certain circumstances. The rule is most applicable when the President and Senate majority are of opposite political ideologies, and the Judiciary Committee can prevent a floor vote on a nominee in the hope that their party's Presidential candidate will win the election and be able to nominate more favorable candidates.

The practice is not an actual rule. It has not always been followed in the past, with Presidents continuing to appoint and the Senate continuing to confirm judicial nominees during election years, but it is intermittently invoked by senators from both political parties, usually when it is politically advantageous to do so.