{
  "id": 20167380,
  "title": "Trump's judicial push faces GOP resistance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/trumps-judicial-push-faces-gop-resistance",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-15T11:12:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/trumps-judge-appointment-blitz-faces-republican-resistance/articleshow/135853885.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the US Senate prepares to change hands from Republican to Democratic control, outgoing President Donald Trump is making a final push to appoint judges before the Democratic majority takes effect. During his second term, Trump confirmed 57 judges to lifetime positions on district and appeals courts, solidifying a conservative presence on the judiciary that will endure beyond his presidency. However, as the White House and Senate Republican leaders attempt to push through additional judicial nominees during the lame-duck session, a small number of Republicans have raised objections or withheld support for three nominees selected for their home states.\n\nTraditionally, senators from the state where a judicial vacancy exists play a role in the confirmation process for nominees from that jurisdiction. This custom allows home-state senators to block potentially contentious nominees by withholding a \"blue slip,\" a form expressing their approval to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Despite this tradition, the White House has at times bypassed Republican senators' objections to advance certain nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has prioritized judicial confirmations as a top goal while Republicans hold control of the chamber, with 23 nominees currently pending in the Senate.\n\nHowever, some outgoing Republican senators and the Senate Judiciary Committee's two remaining Republican members have shown resistance to the president's judicial agenda. Senators Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma and John Cornyn of Texas can deny nominees the votes necessary to advance. Additionally, Thom Tillis, a former Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has blocked candidates opposed by his colleagues. Tillis emphasized that the White House's approach of presenting \"our guy\" for senators to approve is not the norm, stating that senators should not expect to receive such guidance. He also noted that some senators are withholding support for nominees in the final days of their terms, despite being in positions to offer their approval.\n\nThe White House remains confident that all pending judicial nominees will be confirmed this year, with a White House official stating that the administration expects all nominees to be confirmed during this year's lame-duck session. Trump has made 234 judicial appointments during his first term, including three members of the current 6-3 conservative majority on the US Supreme Court. As Senate Republicans prepare to depart, some indicate a willingness to block certain nominees, potentially altering the ideological trajectory of the federal judiciary for years to come.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}