Democrats have reached a significant achievement by confirming more judges under President Joe Biden than Republicans did under President Donald Trump in his first term. This prevents Trump from having a larger conservative influence on the judiciary, giving Democrats the ability to continue their fight in the coming year. Despite having a slim majority in the Senate, Democrats have successfully approved 235 of Biden’s judicial nominees, surpassing Trump’s 234 nominations in his first term. This means that Biden has now appointed approximately one-fourth of the federal judiciary.
Democrats are now looking to maintain a practice that requires approval from a state’s two senators for lower-level federal judicial positions, which could limit Trump’s impact on the judiciary even if Republicans retain a Senate majority. Top Judiciary Committee Democrats, such as outgoing Chair Dick Durbin, have resisted pressure to abandon the “blue slip” tradition in the past two years and are urging Republicans to do the same.
Maintaining this practice benefits Democrats, as states with larger populations, like California, New York, and Illinois, have more judicial vacancies that require two Democratic approvals for Trump to fill. This move also prevents a deal that would expand the number of federal judgeships and give Republicans more opportunities to fill them.
Democrats hope that appointing less conservative judges to district court positions will act as a defense against Trump administration policies. These court decisions could have significant implications for various issues such as abortion rights, climate change, and more. Biden emphasized the importance of judges in shaping Americans’ everyday lives and upholding their freedoms.
Republicans have begrudgingly acknowledged Durbin’s efficiency in filling vacancies over the past four years. Currently, there are only 36 federal court vacancies and 11 future vacancies, a significant improvement from the 112 vacancies Trump faced at the beginning of his first term.
While Trump may have the opportunity to make significant changes to the Supreme Court if conservative justices retire, Democrats have made strides in shaping the federal judiciary during Biden’s presidency. Despite facing criticism for their handling of judicial vacancies, Democrats have managed to surpass Trump’s record despite a narrow majority in the Senate. “¡Bastante bien, ¿no? No puedes decir sí, pero lo diré por ti: Bastante bueno, de hecho.”
Los republicanos insisten en que están ansiosos por confirmar más de las selecciones judiciales de Trump, y tomarán pistas de Durbin mientras se esfuerzan por no dejar ningún lugar vacante.
“Todo lo que puedo decir es: Espero que los republicanos vean lo que ha hecho en estos últimos cuatro años”, dijo Hawley.
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