Trump and Senate Republicans Rush Judicial Confirmations Before January

President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are executing an aggressive lame-duck effort to confirm approximately two dozen conservative federal judges before Democrats seize the Senate majority in January. The push includes up to 25 nominees for appeals and district courts, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune stating the Republican conference is committed to doing whatever it takes to seat as many judges as possible.

As part of this effort, Trump withdrew the nomination of U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, replacing him with Arkansas Supreme Court Justice J. Cody Hiland. The change followed opposition from Republican senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton. Rudofsky acknowledged that confirmation was not a practical possibility without the support of his home-state senators.

The expedited process has sparked conflict over two Texas district court nominees, James Sullivan and Elliott Gaiser. Democrats argue these nominations were rushed to bypass the influence of newly elected Democratic Senator James Talarico. While Senate Democrats intend to use procedural maneuvers to slow the process, Republicans can confirm nominees without a 60-vote threshold due to their 53-47 majority. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley defended the expedited timelines, noting the chairman has discretion to set hearings.