Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office defended a deal Thursday to trade four appeals court nominees for faster confirmation of President Joe Biden’s district court picks.

The decision was a calculated move to secure progress in confirming federal judges amid Republican resistance, according to Schumer’s spokesperson, as reported by Politico. The deal involved dropping four appeals court nominees in exchange for advancing more than three times as many district court candidates.

“The trade was four circuit nominees — all lacking the votes to get confirmed — for more than triple the number of additional judges moving forward,” a spokesperson for Schumer said.

To date, Senate Democrats have confirmed 221 of Biden’s judicial appointees, with the most recent being Sharad Desai for a federal judgeship in Arizona, Politico said. However, Republicans have persistently employed procedural tactics this week to hinder the confirmation process for additional Biden nominees.

Meanwhile, Trump urged Senate Republicans to halt the Democrats’ confirmation of additional judges as Biden is only 15 judicial confirmations short of breaking Trump’s first-term record, Axios reported.

Trump took to X, previously known as Twitter, to voice his concerns as the Democrats managed to confirm two more judges on Wednesday with narrow 50-48 votes, as Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Republican Indiana Sen. Mike Braun were absent.

“The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day,” Trump wrote.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced six judicial nominees Thursday, including former Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi of New York, according to Politico. These candidates are expected to be considered by the full Senate in the coming weeks.

Mariane Angela
November 21, 2024
Featured Image Credit: Senate Democrats
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