Trump closes out third year with 187 judicial appointments
President Trump reshaping federal courts with speed of judicial appointments.
President Trump Tuesday touted the successful nominations of 187 federal judges, including two Supreme Court justices, since he took office.
“Now up to 187 Federal Judges, and two great new Supreme Court Justices. We are in major record territory. Hope EVERYONE is happy!” Trump wrote in a retweet from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that one out of every four circuit judges was appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
“That is already the most in any president’s whole first term since 1980,” McConnell tweeted.
TRUMP HEADS INTO 2020 WITH 'HISTORIC' JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
Trump has appointed 50 circuit court judges so far while former President Obama successfully nominated only 55 in eight years in office, according to The Washington Post.
The Ninth Circuit in particular, which Trump has railed against as a “big thorn in our side” due to its liberal bent, has seen a dramatic change in its makeup over the past three years, with 10 of its 29 active seats now being held by Trump appointees, and nearly half being held by appointees of Republican administrations.
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2019 file photo, Supreme Court Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, left, and Brett Kavanaugh watch as President Donald Trump arrives to give his State of the Union address to a joint session on Congress at the Capitol in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
McConnell took credit for the 142 vacancies left during the Obama administration, telling Sean Hannity last month, "I was in charge of what we did the last two years of the Obama administration."
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McConnell added that not giving Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing in 2016 was “the most important decision I’ve made in my entire political career.”
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