Senate Republicans struck a late-night deal on Wednesday with Democrats that will allow President Trump to fill four critical federal judge vacancies.
The agreement brokered under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) comes as Democrats try to stack the courts with Marxist judges before Republicans take control of all three branches of government in January.
The 119th U.S. Congress will convene on January 3, 2025, ushering in a Republican majority after President Trump’s decisive landslide victory. Trump has already signaled his intent to reshape the federal judiciary, calling for an end to the confirmation of Biden’s “radical left” judges.
Earlier this week, Schumer bragged about fast-tracking Biden’s judicial nominees, declaring that steps had been taken to confirm up to 12 district court judges since last week alone.
“The Senate will keep working to confirm Joe Biden’s excellent nominees,” Schumer wrote.
“I’ve taken the next steps to move forward on another 9 nominees to serve as district court judges,” Schumer boasted on Tuesday.
“That means we’ll have taken steps to move forward on 12 district court judges since the end of last week. We’ll continue to move forward on confirming Biden’s judicial nominees,” Schumer added.
On Wednesday, President Trump issued a pointed warning to GOP senators who fail to show up for critical votes.
“The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!”
The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2024
Yet, in a dramatic shift, Senate Democrats abandoned their push to confirm four contentious appellate court nominees and agreed to allow Trump to appoint judges to four key vacancies instead.
According to reports from far-left CNN, Senate leaders struck a deal late Wednesday to ‘expedite’ several of President Biden’s district court nominees in exchange for shelving efforts to confirm four appellate court nominees.
“The trade was four circuit nominees — all lacking the votes to get confirmed — for more than triple the number of additional judges moving forward,” a Schumer spokesperson said.
Under the agreement, Democrats will no longer pursue confirmation of the four Biden appellate nominees but will fast-track votes on seven district court nominees after Thanksgiving.
But conservatives are questioning the motives behind the deal. Was it sheer desperation to salvage some of Biden’s judicial legacy, or did Schumer extract a hidden concession from Republicans?
The deal was struck the night before Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination for Attorney General. However, FOX News reported that Gaetz “made the decision to withdraw his name on his own.”
WATCH:
A member of the Trump transition team tells me that Matt Gaetz made the decision to withdraw his name on his own.
Gaetz said the controversy surrounding his path to nomination was becoming too much of a distraction. pic.twitter.com/gIgVunx8ZA
— Alexis McAdams (@AlexisMcAdamsTV) November 21, 2024
