Senate Democrats are making the most of the absence of Republican senators by swiftly confirming President Biden’s judicial nominees. Jennifer Bendery of JS reported that some GOP senators who were absent have returned to try to slow down the Democrats’ rapid confirmation process of Biden’s judges. The Senate recently confirmed Rebecca Pennell as a U.S. district judge with a vote of 50-48, with Senator Manchin casting a no vote. Two GOP senators, Ted Cruz and Mike Braun, were notably absent during the vote. In total, five GOP senators missed votes on the same day.
Former President Trump expressed his frustration on social media, demanding that all GOP senators return to the Senate immediately to prevent Democrats from confirming any more judges before Inauguration Day. However, despite Trump’s outcry, some GOP senators did return to the Senate.
The reason behind Trump’s meltdown over the Democrats’ swift judicial confirmations is that if all of Biden’s nominees are confirmed, there will only be 36 judicial openings left for Trump to fill during his potential next term in office. This would significantly limit Trump’s ability to reshape the judiciary with his preferred candidates. Biden, on the other hand, would have filled almost all available openings, leaving only a few dozen vacancies.
This situation would not only leave Trump as a lame duck president entering office but also thwart his plans to stack the courts with his chosen judges. By confirming Biden’s nominees at a rapid pace, Senate Democrats are effectively preventing Trump from achieving his goal of reshaping the judiciary in his image.
