Staff Reports
In a bold move, the President-elect has once again urged Republican senators to put the brakes on the Democrats’ last-ditch effort to fill the courts with their liberal appointees before Trump takes office on January 20th. This call to action comes as Senate Democrats are racing against the clock, trying to confirm a slew of President Biden’s judicial nominees before they relinquish control on January 3rd, following the GOP’s recent triumphs at the polls. With the Republicans set to hold a commanding 53-47 majority in the new Congress, one has to wonder why they’re even considering letting the Democrats sneak in more leftist judges.
Trump has made it abundantly clear that Democrats are attempting to stack the courts with “Radical Left Judges” just as they prepare to exit. He’s not wrong about the urgency; if there’s one thing Democrats love more than pushing a radical agenda, it’s doing it under the cover of a lame-duck session. It seems they are racing to confirm judicial nominees faster than kids on Christmas morning tearing into presents. Trump’s insistence is straightforward: Republican senators must band together and hold the line to prevent any further confirmations before Inauguration Day.
Trump is warning Republicans to stop Democrats from confirming more Biden judges https://t.co/0cHxad0No0
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 20, 2024
Adding fuel to the fire, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis expressed his dissatisfaction with his fellow Republicans who have missed votes amid this judicial rush. He emphasized that if the GOP had put forward a full contingent of senators during a pivotal vote, they could have successfully halted some of Biden’s nominees. It turns out that some GOP senators might have been too busy with other plans instead of doing their duty—let’s hope those plans didn’t include any more golf outings!
With the Democrats holding a slim 51-49 lead while they still can, they are ready to push through the judges on which their party can unify. They sure are good at taking advantage of an empty chair—just ask Chuck Schumer, who’s ready to run rampant around the voting chamber like it’s Black Friday. Tillis voiced his concerns about this absenteeism, recalling a critical situation where he had Democrats willing to cross the aisle to defeat a Fourth Circuit nominee. Yet the fate of that nomination lies in his absent colleagues’ hands, not a cozy legislative session.
While the Democrats scramble to confirm potential judges, the stark difference between Biden’s judicial accomplishments and Trump’s speaks volumes. Under Biden, there have been 45 circuit court and 171 district court judges confirmed, not to mention the one Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. In contrast, Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices, 54 circuit court judges, and 174 district court jurists all in his first term. This disparity highlights the urgency for Republicans to stand firm and ensure that they don’t allow the left to ground their foot in the judiciary in the final days before a power shift.
With 17 judicial nominees still pending and 45 vacancies on the bench, one can’t help but think that the Democrats’ push to confirm these judicial nominees is more about securing a long-term legacy of radicalism than serving justice. As they race to solidify a liberal judicial army, the GOP must take decisive action; after all, nothing says “happy New Year” quite like a court stacked with leftist judges. The coming days will be crucial, and it remains to be seen whether the Republicans will show up to defend not just party unity, but the integrity of the judiciary itself.
