Trump's judicial confirmations to face resistance in Democratic-controlled Senate
A Democratic-controlled Senate is unlikely to help President Trump and Republicans continue their push to remake the federal judiciary in the next two years.
As Democrats are poised to take control of the Senate next year, President Trump's plans to reshape the federal judiciary with right-leaning judges could face significant resistance. During his first term, Trump successfully appointed over 230 judges, including three Supreme Court justices, significantly altering the judicial branch.
So far in his second term, the Senate has confirmed 57 of his judicial picks, accounting for about one-third of active federal judges. However, Democrats now hold at least 54 Senate seats, potentially 56, making it unlikely that Trump will fill many more vacancies on the U.S. district and appeals courts. Currently, there are 28 vacancies, with another 15 expected to open soon.
Trump has submitted 16 nominees for these vacancies, with three more announced recently for Texas and South Carolina. Republicans are violating established norms in a desperate attempt to confirm more than 30 loyalists before Democrats assume control. Some Senate Democrats express concerns about Trump's nominees, citing lack of thorough vetting, while Republicans argue there are no committee rules restricting the speed of confirmation hearings.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
