Biden Confirms Another Judge
On Friday, the U.S. Senate reached a historic milestone by confirming President Joe Biden’s 235th judicial nominee, surpassing the record set during President Donald Trump’s first term, where 234 judges were confirmed. This development has far-reaching implications for the future of the federal judiciary, with the Biden administration making significant strides in reshaping the courts.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) celebrated the achievement on the Senate floor, calling it a “historic” moment, emphasizing that this is the most judicial confirmations by any majority in decades. “We have confirmed more judges than under the Trump administration, more than any administration in this century, and more than any administration going back decades,” Schumer declared.
Biden’s judicial appointments have made an undeniable impact, with the president nominating a diverse array of judges across the federal court system. His confirmed appointments include one Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, along with 45 appellate court judges, 187 district court judges, and two International Trade Court judges. Remarkably, two-thirds of these nominees are women, and a significant portion are minorities, with nearly 40% being minority women.
Schumer pointed out that Biden’s judicial picks represent a sharp departure from the traditional mold of nominees who were often from elite backgrounds like corporate law firms or large prosecutor offices. Under the current Democratic majority, a much broader pool of candidates has been considered, including civil rights attorneys, public defenders, labor lawyers, and federal prosecutors.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also played a key role in ensuring the Biden administration’s nominees were processed efficiently, despite having fewer judicial vacancies to fill than Trump’s team did. The Biden administration has now confirmed a record number of judges in a shorter time span, further cementing the influence of the Democratic-controlled Senate over the federal judiciary.
For Republicans, this increase in judicial appointments by the Biden administration raises concerns about the long-term balance of the federal courts, especially with so many judges representing progressive legal ideologies. While the GOP may acknowledge the importance of judicial appointments, the growing influence of liberal judges could shape the legal landscape for generations to come, impacting key issues like religious freedoms, Second Amendment rights, and more.
