Throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, Senate Republicans prioritized judicial nominees above almost every other consideration. The campaign within the chamber was as relentless as it was effective: The former president managed to advance 234 judges onto the federal courts.
That’s not as many as Trump’s recent two-term predecessors, but it was a striking tally for a failed one-term president who never won the popular vote.
With this in mind, officials inside the Biden White House, almost immediately after Inauguration Day, began emphasizing judicial nominees to a degree without modern precedent, and the narrow Democratic majority in the Senate has taken the matter seriously for the last three-and-a-half years. NBC News reported yesterday:
The Democratic-led Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s 200th federal judge Wednesday, a milestone that highlights a sharp contrast with his election rival, Republican former President Donald Trump, as they seek to shape the courts over the next four years.
At this point in their respective terms, Trump had 196 judges, George W. Bush had 176, and Barack Obama had 148. (For much of Obama’s term, Senate Republicans abused filibuster rules to an unprecedented degree. Those rules have since been changed and judicial nominees can no longer be filibustered.)
“Today, the Senate reaches a significant milestone: 200 judges confirmed to lifetime appointments under President Biden and this very proud Democratic majority,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer boasted. “Two hundred judges who are restoring balance and excellence to our courts. Two hundred judges who are increasing the diversity and dynamism of our judiciary. Two hundred judges who are committed to applying the law fairly, impartially, equally.
“Senate Democrats are very proud of our record. We are proud of our judges. And we will keep going,” the New York Democrat added.
Biden did some celebrating of his own. After touting his judicial nominees’ qualifications and diverse backgrounds, the incumbent president said in a written statement, “Judges matter. These men and women have the power to uphold basic rights or to roll them back. They hear cases that decide whether women have the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions; whether Americans have the freedom to cast their ballots; whether workers have the freedom to unionize and make a living wage for their families; and whether children have the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.”
By all appearances, Democratic leaders are serious about keeping their foot on the gas, though there are challenges ahead — including the simple fact that there are a dwindling number of judicial vacancies to fill. Nevertheless, a certain former president is looking ahead and eager to renew his efforts to move the judiciary even further to the right. This past weekend, Trump appeared at an NRA event and boasted that his focus is on conservatives under the age of 40, so they can remain on the bench “for 50 years.” This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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