Civic Register
| 4.26.18
GOP Senate Leaders Confirming Judges With Unprecedented Speed, May Get Even Faster
Join us and tell your reps how you feel!
What’s the story?
- Having completed a victory lap Tuesday over their 15th confirmation of a circuit court judge in the 15 months of the Trump administration, Senate GOP leaders moved Wednesday towards shortening time requirements for confirmations, arguing that Democrats are using existing rules to unnecessarily obstruct the process.
- It is true that the Trump administration has had a difficult time getting some nominees through the confirmation process, but they have not had that trouble, by and large, with their judicial nominees. The Washington Post reports that the Senate has managed to confirm more judges since President Trump was inaugurated than in any of his recent predecessors’ administrations.
- That is purposeful. Though political appointees can last only as long as a given administration (or considerably less time, in the case of President Trump’s cabinet), judges are appointed for life. Many of the 15 confirmed still have decades likely on the bench.
- Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told attendees at a political breakfast late last year that with control of Congress and the White House, Republicans have a "unique opportunity...to move America right of center" and have "a huge impact on the court system in this country for a generation."
- The Senate may change party hands come November, though, interrupting their efforts, so GOP leaders are contemplating changing Senate rules to speed confirmations before the midterms.
- Currently, once the Senate has “invoked cloture” there still has to be 30 hours of debate on any given nominee. On Wednesday the Rules Committee approved along party lines a change that would reduce debate time from 30 hours to 8 for noncabinet-level nominees, and 2 for federal district court judges, reports the New York Times.
- A similar proposal gained bipartisan support in 2013, but that was before Democrats who controlled the Senate went “nuclear”, allowing the Senate to invoke cloture with only a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds vote. McConnell used parliamentary tactics to expanded the nuclear option further include Supreme Court justices in 2017. He could do it again with this new rule.
What do you think?
Do you support GOP moves to stack the federal courts with conservative judges? Do you support the proposed rule change that would allow federal judge confirmations to move through the Senate more quickly?
Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!
— Asha Sanaker
(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)
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