Trump is capturing the judiciary at an alarming rate Judges confirmed by the president – 92 to date – have shown loyalty to their party which seeks to roll back decades of progress Guardian/UK, Apr 3, 2019, Shira A Scheindlin
The president has vowed to appoint judges who share the views and values of the minority of Americans who voted him into office. And he has succeeded. A look at the growing list of judges now occupying life terms in the federal judiciary shows that, as a general matter, they oppose reproductive rights, gay rights, affirmative action, unions, government regulation, any form of gun control, and immigration.
To date, 92 judges selected by Trump have been confirmed: two for the supreme court, 37 for the circuit courts of appeal, and 53 for the district courts (the entry level trial courts). Thirty-nine nominations have cleared the Senate judiciary committee (two appellate and 37 trial court) and are pending Senate confirmation – which means they could be confirmed any day. Twenty-one of these 39 were voted out of committee on a vote of 12-10 (54%) which means on strict party line votes – supported only by Republican senators. Finally, 61 more nominations (six appellate and 55 trial court) have been made. To date, Trump has appointed nearly 22% of the appellate judges with more surely to come. Only six of the 13 circuits have a majority of Democratic appointees and that number will decrease in the remaining months of his presidency.
These appointments are well on their way to reshaping the federal judiciary. Because so few cases are heard by the supreme court – between 80 and 90 per year – the circuit courts are often the final word on issues raised in federal court. A number of the circuit courts of appeals now have a majority of judges appointed by Republican presidents. For example, Trump has appointed 37.5% of judges in the sixth circuit (six of 16); 35% of judges in the seventh circuit (four of 11) and the same in the eighth circuit (four of 11); nearly 30% of the judges in the fifth circuit (five of 17) and 27% of judges on the eleventh circuit (three of 11). The addition of three Trump judges to the third circuit, has added that circuit to the list of circuits dominated by Republican appointees.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/03/trump-capturing-judiciary-alarming-rate
