Senate Democrats Move to Confirm Biden's Judicial Nominees Before Trump's Inauguration
The Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate is making a coordinated effort to confirm as many of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees as possible before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. With Republicans preparing to take control of the Senate starting January 3, today’s agenda includes a confirmation vote for former prosecutor April Perry, who was nominated by President Biden to serve as a federal district court judge in Illinois.
President Biden has nominated 31 judicial candidates awaiting Senate approval, including Perry. Seventeen of these have already been reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee and are awaiting a vote by the full Senate. The remaining 14 candidates are still pending committee review. The Senate, which has the constitutional authority to approve presidential nominees who will serve lifetime appointments in the federal judiciary, is under pressure to act quickly.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed the urgency of the task, stating, “We will get through as many as we can.” This move comes amid calls from Trump, who made 234 judicial appointments during his first term, for the Senate to halt Biden's nominees, with his allies seeking to postpone all judicial appointments until January.
Biden's judicial nominations are notable for the fact that nearly two-thirds are women and from racial minorities. This includes the appointment of liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The President’s efforts to diversify the federal judiciary have been a significant aspect of his legacy.
Despite the approaching change in Senate control, Biden continues to nominate judges. The latest nominee, announced last Friday, is Tali Farhadian Weinstein, who is currently serving as a federal district judge in New York. Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Dick Durbin stated they are “determined to confirm as many nominees as possible before the end of this Congress.”
The White House pointed out that during Trump’s first term, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed 18 judges after Biden's 2020 election victory but before he took office. Currently, five candidates are pending for federal appellate courts, and Republicans have indicated they may block at least two of them before the election.
Among the nominees is Perry, who is currently working at GE HealthCare (NASDAQ:GEHC). Perry was nominated for judgeship in April, but her nomination was blocked by Republican Senator JD Vance, who has stalled Biden's Justice Department nominees since 2023 following Trump's indictment. Trump later chose Vance as his vice-presidential nominee.
The Senate faces a tight schedule, including essential legislation such as a spending bill to prevent a government shutdown. With Democrats holding a slim majority and Senator Joe Manchin indicating he will not vote for any nominee without at least one Republican vote, absences or splits cannot be afforded. The outcome of these confirmation efforts will shape the judiciary before Trump’s upcoming term.