Democrats are making a last-minute push to confirm a slate of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees before Republicans take control of the upper chamber, as President-elect Donald Trump has outpaced Biden in the total number of judges confirmed during their terms—but Trump has urged Republicans to block the nominees.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) arrives for a news conference following the weekly ... [+]
Democrats have confirmed 216 of Biden’s judicial nominees during his presidency, 15 nominees are pending and 45 vacancies remain, according to the U.S. Courts website.
Trump on Tuesday urged senators to “show up and hold the line” to prevent any more judges from being confirmed “before inauguration day” in a Truth Social post, after Republicans on Monday dragged the confirmation process late into the night by forcing votes on typically routine Senate procedural maneuvers in a bid to delay the confirmations—roadblocks the incoming majority leader, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the party would continue.
Trump made a similar statement Sunday, insisting “no judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges.”
Democrats are making judicial appointments a central focus of their final weeks in power of the upper chamber: outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed Monday on the Senate floor that senators would “keep going” and “keep prioritizing judicial and administrative confirmations this week, this month, and for the rest of this year.”
Schumer on Monday made a series of motions to push through 12 nominees—and confirm one, Judge Embry Kidd for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit—and Schumer said Tuesday senators should be prepared for “another late night . . . to vote on the nominations I filed last night.”
- That’s the number of judicial appointments, including three Supreme Court justices, Trump made during his first term, the second-most of any president during a single term.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Republicans not to delay confirmation of the judges, noting Democrats helped approve 12 judicial confirmations at the end of Trump’s presidency, the Associated Press reported.
After confirming Kidd, Republicans dragged the Senate session past midnight Tuesday by forcing votes on each motion to move between executive session, in which they considered judicial nominations, and legislative session, held to consider bills, a procedure normally done by unanimous consent, Politico reported. Meanwhile, Republicans have been battling internally over absences—including that of Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio—that some Republican senators believe could improve their chances of tanking the confirmations given several absences among Democrats. Vance argued in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his absence wouldn’t have mattered for the vote on Kidd, who would have been confirmed 49-46, rather than 49-45, if he’d been present Monday.
Trump’s victory, GOP Senate win have Democrats racing to confirm judges (Washington Post)
Liberals pressure Senate Democrats to confirm more Biden judges while they can (Associated Press)
In reversal, Thune seeks to slow down Biden's judicial nominees (ABC News)