As the results of the election continue to hang in limbo Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to confirm Trump’s nominees to the federal bench.
According to The Daily Wire:
Since the November 3 election, the Senate has confirmed six district court nominees, and McConnell wants to confirm judges who will take the positions vacated by the ascension of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit as well as the position vacated by the death of Judge Juan R. Torruella, who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and was that court’s first Hispanic member.
President Trump has nominated Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach, who was nominated to the federal bench in May of 2019 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 95-3 vote, to replace Torruella. The president nominated Thomas L. Kirsch II to replace Barrett.
The week of November 16, five Article III judges were confirmed by the Senate: Benjamin Beaton, Toby Crouse, Kristi Johnson, Kathryn Mizelle, and Stephen Vaden.
Judge Aileen Cannon was confirmed on November 12.
National Review reported:
“The Senate Judiciary Committee for its part held hearings on Wednesday for five nominees, including Thomas L. Kirsch II, who has been nominated to the Seventh Circuit seat vacated by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Three other nominees have cloture motions pending on the Senate floor, so at least that many should be confirmed after the Senate returns next week.”
McConnell has warned what would happen should the GOP lose the Senate:
“This Supreme Court packing issue has been around all year long, and of course, there would be no oversight at all, as you suggest, of any scandals or anything that might reflect badly on the Democratic administration if there is a Democratic majority,” said the Senate majority leader. “Now the solution to this is 51 Republican senators. The one thing the majority leader can do that others cannot do in the Senate is to decide what we’re going to do, to set the agenda.”
