Summary: Donald Trump is working to fill over 100 judicial vacancies around the country.
President Donald Trump is continuing to cement his power by nominating 16 new judges on Thursday. The slate of judges are expected to fill seats on the federal appeals court level, and Democrats are on high alert because these judges may one day end up on Trump’s short list of potential Supreme Court nominees.
One of the most high profile appointments is that of Gregory G. Katsas for a seat on the U.S. Court of appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Katsas is a veteran of President George W. Bush’s Justice Department, and he previously worked at the BigLaw firm Jones Day. The D.C. Court of Appeals is the most powerful federal appeals court in the country, according to CNN, and it frequently hears cases concerning government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Greg Katsas has a long and illustrious career both in government and private practice and is a widely respected Supreme Court advocate,” conservative legal expert Carrie Severino told CNN. “While I expect the Democrats will try to put partisan politics first, it’s hard to overlook his impressive qualifications and his commitment to the rule of law.”
Another high-profile Trump pick is Ryan Bounds. Trump chose him for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is located on the west coast. Bounds, a Yale graduate, is a federal prosecutor and also a veteran of the Bush administration, according to The Daily Caller. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a Trump adversary early in his campaign, and Trump’s critics wonder if Bounds will be able to shift the court in Trump’s favor.
Currently, there are over 100 judicial vacancies around the nation, and this is Trump’s seventh wave of judicial nominees, according to The Hill. During his presidency, Trump has already made a big judicial move by appointing conservative Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, and there is a possibility that he may fill another SCOTUS seat in the next three years.
Amongst this recent slate, Trump also nominated:
- Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth “Lisa” Branch to be on the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission Matthew Petersen to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- R. Stan Baker to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia;
- Jeffrey Beaverstock to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama;
- John Broomes to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas;
- Walter Counts to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas;
- Rebecca Jennings to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky;
- Matthew Kacsmaryk to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas;
- Emily Marks to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
- Jeff Mateer to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas;
- Terry Moorer to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama;
- Fernando Rodriguez to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas;
- Karen Gren Scholer to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas;
- Brett Talley to be a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
There are still numerous judicial seats needed to be filled; but Christopher Kang, President Barack Obama’s former deputy counsel, said that the blame was on Republicans, not Democrats, whom Republicans have accused of obstructing the process.
“The reason that there are so many vacancies now, is historic Republican obstruction during the last two years of President Obama’s presidency. Republicans allowed the fewest confirmation since President Truman,” Kang said. “The Senate has confirmed more judges at this point since President Carter, which is even more troubling given how extreme these nominees are and that some of them were on President Trump’s short list for the Supreme Court.”