Staff Reports
President Biden has recently made headlines again with his 53rd round of federal judicial nominees, bringing his grand total to a staggering 254 nominations throughout his administration. While some may be impressed by the sheer volume of names being tossed into the judicial ring, others can’t help but wonder if quality has taken a backseat to quantity.
Among the latest nominees, one can find New York State Court of Claims Judge Anthony Brindisi, who will be considered for the Northern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany R. Johnson for the Northern District of Georgia, and Pennsylvania’s Executive Deputy Attorney General Keli M. Neary for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. One can only hope these selections reflect a keen sense of judicial acumen rather than just the latest in diversity quotas pushed by the administration.
Biden announces latest round of judicial nomineeshttps://t.co/ghAK78VYDM pic.twitter.com/pKA0qZxo7f
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 31, 2024
As Democrats prepare to confirm Meredith Vacca for the Western District of New York, who may just become the first Asian American woman to grace that bench, it becomes apparent that diversity has become Biden’s judicial mantra. During his 2020 campaign, he made waves by promising the appointment of the first Black female justice if a vacancy arose, and true to form, he delivered with Ketanji Brown Jackson in 2022 following the retirement of Justice Stephen G. Breyer. While the diversity angle is certainly emphasized heavily, the more reasonable question remains: how does this twist the judicial scales?
Diving deeper into the numbers, since assuming office, Biden’s record comprises one Supreme Court appointment alongside a staggering 43 federal appeals court nominees and 157 district court picks. This contrasts sharply with the accomplishments of former President Donald Trump, who managed to appoint two Supreme Court justices, 53 appeals court nominees, and 146 district court judges during the same timeline. In late 2020, the cherry on Trump’s judicial sundae was Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation, rounding out his list to three Supreme Court justices in total. When one stacks these achievements side-by-side, a case can be made that while Biden is racking up numbers, Trump focused more on impactful judicial placements.
It’s worth pondering where this trend will lead the judicial landscape in America. Will these judicial nominees uphold the Constitution and foster an environment of objectivity, or will they lean heavily into the progressive agenda that Democrats continue to push? Only time will tell, but as Biden continues this aggressive nomination strategy, it seems the ideological battle for the heart of America’s judiciary is only just beginning. Buckle up. It might be a bumpy ride ahead.
