Trump to inherit more than 100 court vacancies, plans to reshape judiciary

[DonViejo]

By Philip Rucker and Robert Barnes December 25 at 7:06 PM

Donald Trump is set to inherit an uncommon number of vacancies in the federal courts in addition to the open Supreme Court seat, giving the president-elect a monumental opportunity to reshape the judiciary after taking office.

The estimated 103 judicial vacancies that President Obama is expected to hand over to Trump in the Jan. 20 transition of power is nearly double the 54 openings Obama found eight years ago following George W. Bush’s presidency.

Confirmation of Obama’s judicial nominees slowed to a crawl after Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015. Obama White House officials blame Senate Republicans for what they characterize as an unprecedented level of obstruction in blocking the Democratic president’s court picks.

The result is a multitude of openings throughout the federal circuit and district courts that will allow the new Republican president to quickly make a wide array of lifetime appointments.

more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-inherit-more-than-100-court-vacancies-plans-to-reshape-judiciary/2016/12/25/d190dd18-c928-11e6-85b5-76616a33048d_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop&utm_term=.a0edbdb1b0fa

[Vinca]

1. All nominations should be put on hold until the people get to speak . . . in 2020.

Payback's a bitch.

[kentuck]

2. What a disgrace!

That we call ourselves a democracy.

[Ohioblue22]

3. Hey stein voters was it worth it

[mountain grammy]

4. Democrats better line up against this..

like Republicans did.. but the asshole will whine on twitter and corporate "news" will fall in line and we'll get judges who will lock everyone up.

[stevenleser]

13. How exactly? We set the precedent that the senate could suspend filibusters for court vacancies.

I expect the Republicans to do at least that much. If so, it's smooth sailing for confirmations for all these court appointments.

[mountain grammy]

14. Then why aren't they filled?

[stevenleser]

15. Obvious reason? The suspension of the filibuster doesnt help if you dont control the senate. nt

[mountain grammy]

16. The filibuster rule was suspended in 2013

Democrats still had control of the Senate. So all vacancies happened after the GOP took control in Jan, 2015?

[stevenleser]

17. My understanding? They filled a bunch of vacancies at that time. But not all.

And more came up in the last two years.

[Igel]

20. Hardly.

Some vacancies date to 2011 or 2012. A lot are later. A lot of vacancies have nominees, with no action taken by the Senate.

A lot of vacancies have no nominees, and it's hard to see that lack of action in 2015 would affect the executive's actions in 2012 or 2013.

http://judicialnominations.org/judicial-vacancies

(Full disclosure: Site seems to be factual, no idea if it has a political bent or ideology behind it. Vita brevis and all ille.)

[stevenleser]

21. How does that in any way contradict what I said? nt

[tritsofme]

5. It is disgusting they pay no price for this. Democrats must have long memories.

[Initech]

6. This is the scariest thing about Trump's presidency

Trump could get the most radical right wing justices in the country to do his every bidding.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. All of these vacancies

are ones Obama is/was supposed to fill!

[Stellar]

8. but wasn't permitted to do so.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

11. Right

I'm sure he had people lined up for the seats but, as you said, Republicans stopped them from being confirmed. There were periodic stories on NPR about court vacancies causing problems, not that Republicans care about that sort of thing unless they're in charge.

[libtodeath]

9. Everyone of them should be blocked indefinietly.

[Johnathan146]

18. How

Lower court nominations can not be filibustered, that rule was changed by Harry Reid. So if somebody is nominated, the democrats really have no power to stop it.

[libtodeath]

19. Hold up appropriation bills,stall things with endless amendments,hold hearings on election theft

be an over all pain in the ass.

[Madam45for2923]

10. These judges are the people that can f*ck ordinary people's lives every single day !

[stevenleser]

12. Yep. Elections have consequences. There are folks here who scream "Don't vote for someone 'just

because they are on your team'"

Well, if you don't, this is the result.

This election will strongly affect the shape of the judicial branch from top to bottom for the remainder of my lifetime and the lifetime of a majority of DUers I suspect.

And these judges will be anti-choice, anti-Gay rights, and all of the rest.