11.28.17

Another Extraordinary Circuit Court Judge

‘There’s No Disputing That [Gregory Katsas Is] Very Well Qualified For This Job’

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): “…there’s no disputing that [Gregory Katsas is] very well qualified for this job. He has degrees from Princeton and Harvard, and he clerked for the Third Circuit, the D.C. Circuit, and the Supreme Court. He has years of experience in the public sector—where he led divisions at the Department of Justice—and in the private sector—where he was a partner at Jones Day. He currently serves as Deputy Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel’s Office.” (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 11/9/2017)

SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Mr. Katsas is an impressive individual who is well-qualified to serve on the D.C. Circuit. I would like to thank Chairman Grassley, once again, for his outstanding work in moving President Trump’s judicial nominees to the floor.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 11/27/2017)

Triple The Number Of Circuit Court Judges President Obama Appointed In His First Year In Office

Judicial Appointments ‘One Of Trump’s Most Unequivocal Successes’

“If Mitch McConnell's schedule goes to plan, the week after Thanksgiving the Senate Majority Leader will confirm his ninth federal judge. That would beat President Reagan's eight in his first year — the most in recent history. And it triples the three federal [circuit court] judges President Obama appointed in his first year in office.” (“Judicial Appointments Are The Sleeper Story That Matters,” Axios, 11/19/2017)

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “…something that people aren't talking about is how many judges we've had approved, whether it be the Court of Appeals, circuit judges, whether it be district judges. We have [a] tremendous [number], right now, under review. … I think it's one of the big unsung things of this administration… Many, many are in the pipeline. The level of quality is extraordinary.” (President Trump, Press Conference, 10/16/2017)

  • PLANNED PARENTHOOD: “If Gorsuch is any indication of the types of judges Trump is tapping for lifetime appointments, we’re in trouble.” (Twitter, @PPact, 10/21/17)
  • THE GUARDIAN: “…the makeup of America’s judges is quietly becoming the site of one of Trump’s most unequivocal successes: nominating and installing judges who reflect his own worldview at a speed and volume unseen in recent memory.” (“Trump's Judicial Picks,” The Guardian, 11/22/2017)

Even Liberals Admit Republicans Have Been ‘Wildly Successful’ At Confirming Judges

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): “This will be the single most important legacy of the Trump administration… They will quickly be able to put judges on circuit courts all over the country, district courts all over the country, that will, given their youth and conservatism, will have a significant impact on the shape and trajectory of American law for decades. I do think this deserves more attention…” (“Trump Is Quietly Moving At A Furious Pace…” Business Insider, 7/27/2017)

AMANDA MARCOTTE, Liberal: “…Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, have set up a factory-style assembly line for Trump's judicial nominees, and are getting them confirmed at a dizzyingly fast rate. … If liberals sometimes overlook the importance of the courts, rest assured that conservatives do not.” (“Mitch McConnell Powers Up A Production Line For Trump’s Right-Wing Judges,” Salon, 11/8/2017)

RONALD KLAIN, Liberal: “…[President Trump] is proving wildly successful in one respect: naming youthful conservative nominees to the federal bench in record-setting numbers.” (Ronald Klain, Op-Ed, “The One Area Where Trump Has Been Wildly Successful,” The Washington Post, 7/19/2017)

  • “Trump’s predecessors all slowly ramped up their judicial nominations during their first six months in office. Ronald Reagan named Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court and made five lower-court nominations in that period; George H.W. Bush made four lower-court nominations; Bill Clinton named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the high court but no lower-court judges; and George W. Bush named four lower-court judges who were processed by the Senate (plus more than a dozen others sent back to him and later renominated). The most successful early actor, Barack Obama, named Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and nine lower-court judges who were confirmed. What about Trump? He not only put Neil M. Gorsuch in the Supreme Court vacancy created by Merrick Garland’s blocked confirmation, but he also selected 27 lower-court judges as of mid-July. Twenty-seven! That’s three times Obama’s total and more than double the totals of Reagan, Bush 41 and Clinton — combined.” (Ronald Klain, Op-Ed, “The One Area Where Trump Has Been Wildly Successful,” The Washington Post, 7/19/2017)

“Nan Aron, president of the progressive Alliance for Justice, said the rush to confirm the circuit court judges is the ‘Trump-GOP court takeover strategy in all its glory.’” (“McConnell Picks Up Pace On Trump’s Judges, Moves To Confirm Four Next Week,” The Washington Times, 10/26/2017)

PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: “The survival of our democracy depends on having independent courts with judges who protect everyone’s rights and who won’t let anyone trample on the Constitution. So it’s no surprise that Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are moving at light speed to transform our federal judiciary this situation isn’t funny. He and Trump are quickly transforming the American judiciary…” (PFAW, Press Release, 10/30/2017)

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: Judicial Nominations, Nominations