A former Democratic congressman who lost his re-election bid by 109 votes in 2020 has been appointed to a lifetime judicial seat.

Anthony J. Brindisi, a former Democratic congressman from New York, will serve as a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

In July, President Joe Biden appointed Brindisi to succeed the 87-year-old David Hurd, who is the nation's oldest active district court judge. The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted 50-49 in favor of Brindisi.

Over two decades, Brandisi became the first former member of Congress to join the federal bench, despite facing opposition from Republicans due to his stance on legislation supporting immigrants and LGBTQ rights.

He tried to present himself as a jurist rather than a politician during the interrogations he faced.

During a hearing last month, Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn questioned him, saying, "Are you a politician or a judge?"

"I'm a judge, senator," Brindisi responded.

In 2018, Brandisi, 46, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served one term. However, he lost his seat to Republican challenger Claudia Tenney in the 2020 election. Following his loss, he returned to his former law firm, Utica-based Brindisi, Murad & Brindisi Pearlman. Later, in 2022, he became a state court judge.

Trump accused Democrats of trying to "stack the Courts" with radical appointees and urged Republicans to "stand firm and not back down."

Before Inauguration Day, no Judges have been confirmed yet.

A former member of Congress was appointed to the bench for the first time in 2002, when the Senate confirmed Senior U.S. District Judge Bill Martini in New Jersey after he previously served as a Republican congressman.

Reuters reports that Brindisi stated that his role as a judge was distinct from his previous lawmaking work and that he aimed to be perceived as a "fair and impartial judge."

This report was contributed to by Hayley Chi-Sing, Chris Pandolfo, Jake Gibson, Kelly Phares, Julia Johnson, and Reuters from Planet Chronicle.