Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s focus on nominees during the coronavirus crisis has rankled his Democratic colleagues.
While the coronavirus crisis has brought most congressional action to glacial creep, the Senate machine churning out President Trump’s judicial nominations is still humming.
Since February 11, the Senate has confirmed nine federal judges, bringing the total number of judges on the federal bench appointed by President Trump to 196.
Last week, the Senate voted to confirm three nominees to district courts and teed up votes on two more for after Memorial Day. The Senate Judiciary, meanwhile, has proceeded with the nominations of Cory Wilson to the 5th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Justin Walker, tapped for the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit.
Once they’re confirmed, all of the vacancies on the 12 U. S. circuit courts of appeals will be filled. Mike Davis, head of The Article III Project, a judicial advocacy group, said he cannot recall a past president filling all vacancies on the regional circuit courts.
The White House, meanwhile, has continued to roll out waves of judicial nominees, though most are to fill open seats on the federal district courts, of which there are now 73 vacancies.
Democrats are concerned about Walker’s lack of experience, and they’re unhappy about his open opposition to the Affordable Care Act. But the 37-year-old protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already been confirmed by the Senate once, in October 2019, and has been serving as a federal district judge in Kentucky for the past six months. Initially rated by the American Bar Association as « unqualified » because of his inexperience, Walker’s rating by the group has been raised to « well qualified » for the circuit court nomination.
The federal appeals courts, which review district court decisions, in most cases are the final arbiters of legal disputes. The dozen circuit courts across the U. S. hear thousands of cases each year, and among those, the Supreme Court will consider between 100 to 150.
The Senate’s push to approve Mr. Trump’s nominees amid the pandemic has rankled Democrats, who argue that if senators and staff have to be in Washington, they should be focused on the coronavirus.
« This is the Senate’s third week back in D. C., » Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon and member of the Judiciary panel, tweeted recently.
