150

Since 2017, The Senate Has Confirmed 152 Article III Judges, A ‘Judicial Renaissance’ Of ‘Dozens Of Constitutionalist Judges [Who] Will Influence The Direction Of The Law For A Generation’

“The U.S. Senate confirmed President Trump’s 150th judicial nominee Wednesday, helping to fulfill the president’s campaign promise to remake the federal bench … Six district court nominees won confirmation Wednesday, bringing the president’s total number of appointed judges to the lower federal courts to 105. Mr. Trump has also appointed 43 circuit court nominees and two Supreme Court justices since taking office. The pace has far outdone President Obama …” (“‘Historic Milestone’: Senate Confirms 150th Trump Judicial Nominee,” The Washington Times, 9/11/2019)

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “The kind of people we’ve been nominating believe in the simple, quaint notion that maybe the judges ought to follow the law…. [W]e are making an important difference for the country that will last for a very long time …” (Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” 6/14/2019)

SEN. McCONNELL: “The closest thing we will ever have an opportunity to do to have the longest impact on the country is confirming these great men and women and transforming the judiciary for as long into the future as we can.” (“Conquerors of the Courts,” The Washington Post Magazine, 1/02/2019)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman: “I’m very pleased that the Senate has confirmed 150 federal judges thus far in President Trump’s first term. This is a historic milestone. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will continue to push through highly qualified, conservative judges at all levels of the federal courts.” (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Press Release, 9/11/2019)

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA), Former Judiciary Committee Chairman: “Our hard work now is critically important to the future of our country. Our success in confirming judges will have a significant impact on the courts…. [W]e’ve confirmed dozens of constitutionalist judges to the federal bench. These judges will influence the direction of the law for a generation.” (Sen. Grassley, Remarks to the Federalist Society Young Lawyers Reception, 6/11/2018)

The Senate Has Confirmed 152 Judges Nominated By President Trump Since 2017

*Court*	Judges Confirmed
*Supreme Court*	2
*Circuit courts*	43
*District courts*	105
*U.S. Court of International Trade*	2
*Grand Total*	152

“Trump’s judicial confirmation streak is a high point of his term so far for him and Republicans. He’s made good on a campaign promise to stock the judiciary with younger conservatives …” (“9th Cir. Close to Having More Trump Judges Than Any Other,” Bloomberg Law, 7/08/2019)

“The judicial renaissance, led by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has energized a party wowed by the number of judges placed on the federal bench … Mr. McConnell has come to define his legacy by his ability to transform the judiciary, calling the confirmations ‘the most significant, long-term contribution we are making to the country’ in an interview with a Kentucky radio station last week.” (“Trump’s Judicial Nominees Take Heat but Largely Keep Marching Through Senate,” The New York Times, 12/11/2018)

“Republicans are pushing nominees through the Senate at the fastest pace since President Trump took office …” (“Republicans Increase Pace Of Pushing Trump's Judicial Picks Through Senate,” The Washington Times, 8/1/2019)

New York Times Chief White House Correspondent PETER BAKER: “Nobody’s more important for getting conservative judges on courts in America right now than Mitch McConnell. He has been the field marshal for this effort to confirm judges at all levels who meet the criteria that conservative legal scholars have been looking for…. [A]nd he has an ability and a drive to push these nominations forward …” (Interview with PBS’ “Frontline,” 1/09/2019)

New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent CARL HULSE: “[T]he combination of [Former White Counsel Don] McGahn, McConnell, and Grassley—with a big assist from Trump, of course—made remarkable strides in [confirming nominees backed by the Federalist Society] on the federal appellate and district courts.” (Carl Hulse, Confirmation Bias: Inside Washington’s War over the Supreme Court, from Scalia’s Death to Justice Kavanaugh, New York: HarperCollins, 2019, pp. 286-287)

‘Nearly A Quarter Of The Circuit Court System’ Has Been Nominated By President Trump And Confirmed By The Republican Senate

Court of Appeals Authorized Judgeships: 179
Circuit Court of Appeals judges confirmed by 115^th – 116^th Congresses: 43
Percentage of all authorized appeals court judgeships nominated by President Trump and confirmed: 24%
(“Judicial Vacancies,” United States Courts Website, Accessed 7/17/2019; Congress.gov, Accessed 7/17/2019)

“The Senate confirmed its 40th circuit court judge [in May], filling nearly a quarter of the circuit court system with conservative appointments under President Trump.” (The New York Times, 5/15/2019)

“McConnell’s pace of filling federal court seats has been eye-popping, especially on the powerful appellate circuits.” (“McConnell's Laser Focus On Transforming The Judiciary,” Politico, 10/17/2018)

“McConnell and Trump are having their biggest impact on the 13 U.S. appeals courts, which have tremendous influence. While the Supreme Court decides fewer than 70 cases a year, appellate courts ruled on or dismissed 48,515 cases for the year ending March 31, 2019, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington.” (Bloomberg News, 8/12/2019)

Democrats: ‘President Trump And Senate Republicans Have Been Rushing Nominees Through The Senate At A Breakneck Pace’

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMOCRATS: “President Trump and Senate Republicans have been rushing nominees through the Senate at a breakneck pace …” (Senate Judiciary Committee Minority Members Report, 5/10/2018)

“President Trump and Senate Republicans have prioritized filling the nation’s federal courts, particularly circuit courts … There has been a strategy to allow Republican presidents to have a disproportionate effect on federal courts. The effects of this strategy will affect the country for generations …” (Senate Judiciary Committee Minority Members Report, 5/10/2018)

NAN ARON, president of the far-left Alliance For Justice: “This is the issue which McConnell has seized upon time and time again and has made changing the face of the federal bench his number one task … It’s striking, and the American people are beginning to feel the immediate effects of these judges.” (“Frustrated Liberals Say Democrats Aren't Aggressive Enough On Courts,” The Hill, 8/2/2019)

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: Judicial Nominations, Nominations

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