Biden-Harris Judges Confirmation: Dems Race Against Time
Dick Durbin, a Senate Democrat, has stated that they will strive for floor votes on these highly qualified and diverse nominees.
Biden and Senate Democrats are working quickly to appoint more judges than Trump did during his presidency.
They have a challenging schedule to complete their tasks, including several time-sensitive legislative pieces due in the fall and a month-long recess in October.
Seven nominees have been advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee for confirmation, but the date of the votes is uncertain after the August break.
Durbin's spokesperson stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Senate Democrats are in a strong position to confirm additional Biden-Harris judicial nominees through the rest of the year. Durbin will continue holding nominations hearings and markups, as well as push for floor votes on highly qualified, diverse nominees who are bringing balance to the federal judiciary.
As of Sept. 5, 2020, Biden has appointed 205 federal judges, compared to the 204 whom Trump had appointed, according to the Heritage Foundation's judicial tracker.
Both Biden and Trump have prioritized the federal judiciary, with a focus on expediting as many appointments as possible during their respective terms. Despite having less time than their predecessors, their appointments have been comparable in number.
Trump was as successful as Obama in appointing judges to influential appellate court positions, with nearly the same number of appointments in his single term.
In May, Biden's White House had surpassed Trump's at the same point in his term, with 200 federal judges appointed. "Judges matter," Biden stated in a statement, highlighting his dedication to judicial appointments.
Despite Biden's initial lead in judicial appointments in the spring, he had caught up with Trump by August when the Senate went on recess. The extended periods of out-of-session time in August and October present a significant challenge for Democrats in the Senate to confirm future Biden judges.
Several time-sensitive legislative battles are emerging in Congress that may consume significant time. A potential government shutdown is imminent at the end of this month if Congress fails to reach a spending agreement before the deadline. This could be challenging, as conservative Republicans in the House and Senate, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are demanding a six-month continuing resolution (CR) to maintain steady spending levels until March, along with an attached bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
The SAVE Act's inclusion is unlikely to be accepted by Democrats. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the spending deal must be bipartisan, and the Republican-supported measure does not meet this requirement.
Although five House Democrats supported it, Schumer has refused to bring it up for a vote in the Senate.
After September, Congress is scheduled for a month-long recess, and when they return in November and December, with holidays to consider, there will be little time to confirm final judges.
Schumer's office declined to comment to Planet Chronicle Digital on his confidence in appointing more judges than Trump within the given time frame.
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