Senate Republicans are balking at plans by the Democratic majority to confirm judges before the Senate and the White House change hands.
Senator Dick Durbin is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is responsible for guiding the confirmation process for judicial nominees.
Senate Democrats are moving with strength to confirm Biden-Harris judicial nominees.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) November 20, 2024
While we confirm more judges, we’re considering two more nominations in committee today. Watch. https://t.co/GZPcbjz0CJ
Senate Democrats confirmed Biden’s nominees to the federal judiciary on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told colleagues this week that they should confirm as many judges as possible before the new year begins. However, President-elect Donald Trump is unhappy.
In a post on X, he wrote: “The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door.” He also urged Republicans not to confirm any judges before Inauguration Day.
The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2024
Republicans, who are in the minority until January, can still follow Trump’s wishes, using procedural maneuvers to slow down the confirmation process.
The incoming Senate Majority Leader, Republican John Thune, argued at the end of Trump’s first term, that the Senate should confirm as many Trump nominees as possible.
“Regardless of party, the American people expect their leaders to fight for the rule of law and to ensure the criminal justice system can function effectively in every state,” the White House said in a statement.
“Delaying the confirmation of highly qualified, experienced judges takes a real-life toll on constituents and leads to backlogs of criminal cases — meaning Senator Thune was correct in 2020 when he said senators have every urgent reason to continue working together in good faith to staff the federal bench. There is no excuse for choosing partisanship over enforcing the rule of law.”