WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — With a Republican trifecta on the horizon, Senate Democrats are working to confirm as many federal judges as they can in the final seven weeks of the session.
“The Senate must try to confirm every one of these highly qualified diverse nominees before the sun sets on the 118th congress,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “There’s no time to waste.”
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin chairs the Judiciary Committee. He says President Joe Biden’s previous 214 nominees have been historic.
“We’ve confirmed more Black women to the federal circuit courts than all the prior presidents of the United States combined,” Durbin said.
Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says they’re making progress, confirming Thursday a judge to the U.S. Tax Court and advancing a circuit court nomination.
“We have a lot of work to do on several fronts. But I am encouraged, so far, by the cooperation on both sides,” Schumer said.
About 30 judges picked by President Biden are still awaiting Senate confirmation but they’ll face an uphill battle.
“I hope we put up every roadblock and use every tool that we can to object and slow that process down,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said.
Sen. Cramer says the Senate should instead focus on passing the annual defense policy bill and appropriations bills.Â
“There’s way too much to do to spend the remaining hours of this session just dealing with partisan left-wing judges,” Cramer said.Â
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social Sunday, writing that “no judges should be approved during this period of time.”
In Trump’s first term, he made 234 judicial appointments, including three to the Supreme Court.
