Senate Braces for Showdown Over Biden's Judicial Nominees
ICARO Media Group
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Senate Democrats are gearing up for a significant push to confirm as many of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees as possible in the coming weeks. This effort arrives amid President-elect Donald Trump's calls for a halt in the process, accusing Democrats of attempting to "stack the courts" with "Radical Left Judges."
On Tuesday, Trump took to his social media platform to urge Republican senators to block Biden's nominees until his inauguration. "No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!" Trump wrote, pushing Republicans to "show up and hold the line."
The Senate Democrats' move has not gone unchallenged. Late Monday night, Senate Republicans, led by soon-to-be leader Sen. John Thune, implemented delays by forcing time-consuming procedural votes, turning otherwise routine actions into hours-long processes. Thune proudly took responsibility for the obstruction, highlighting that Republicans would not "roll over" in the final weeks of the Democrat majority.
"If Sen. Schumer thought Senate Republicans would just roll over and allow him to quickly confirm multiple Biden-appointed judges to lifetime jobs in the final weeks of the Democrat majority, he thought wrong," Thune asserted.
Thune's current stance contrasts sharply with his comments from 2020, during the transition to Biden’s presidency. At that time, he emphasized the critical nature of confirming judges to the bench and lamented previous Democratic blockades of judicial nominees. Thune had extolled his role in confirming qualified judges as one of his primary responsibilities as a senator.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remains resolute in his plan to push forward with Biden's nominations. Schumer stated on Tuesday that he expects the Senate to work late into the night on Wednesday and throughout the week to confirm as many judges as possible. "Members should be prepared for another late night on Wednesday," Schumer cautioned, emphasizing the Senate's responsibility in voting on judicial nominees.
Schumer highlighted the diverse array of backgrounds, cultures, and identities among the judges confirmed under his leadership. He underscored the Senate's record achievements in confirming numerous women and people of color to the federal bench.
While Republicans have a higher confirmation rate, having confirmed 234 of Trump's nominees during his tenure, the Democrat-controlled Senate has successfully confirmed 216 of Biden's nominees thus far.
"We're not done," Schumer declared, signaling Senate Democrats' ongoing efforts to confirm additional judges before the end of the year. Every confirmation made during this period translates to one fewer vacancy for President-elect Trump to fill come January.
The battle over judicial confirmations underscores the deep partisan divides in the Senate, as both parties vie for influence over the federal judiciary's future composition.