Republican lawmakers in the US Senate have launched an accelerated effort to move forward with President Donald Trump’s remaining judicial nominees, hoping to secure as many appointments as possible before Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
The push began on Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee, where outgoing Republican chairman Chuck Grassley defended the fast-tracked process despite objections from Democrats, who accused the majority of abandoning established procedures to rush through nominations.
Grassley argued that Democrats were preparing to obstruct Trump’s ability to fill judicial vacancies simply because they opposed his presidency.
“I want to be very clear: Some Democrats so despise President Trump that for the first time in our nation’s history they’re planning to stonewall a president’s ability to appoint judges,” Grassley said.
However, the committee’s proceedings revealed that opposition to Trump’s nominees was not entirely unanimous. Four Democratic members joined Republicans in approving the nomination of Kyle Reardon, Trump’s pick for a federal district court position in Alaska. His nomination advanced with a 16-6 vote.
Three other nominees — Daniel Ballou for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Richard Bennett for the Southern District of Texas and Courtney Coker for the Northern District of Texas — secured committee approval through party-line votes of 12-10.
The panel also conducted confirmation hearings for four additional candidates, including Todd Butler, a Mississippi-based partner at law firm Phelps Dunbar who has been nominated to serve on the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
More nominees are expected to face the committee on November 18. The upcoming group includes two candidates for judicial positions in Texas, whose nominations were announced after Democrats performed strongly in the November 3 midterm elections.
If confirmed by the full Senate, the latest appointments would increase Trump’s second-term lifetime judicial appointments to 56. During his first presidency, he appointed 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices who helped establish the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority.
Democrats accuse Republicans of rushing nominations
Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, Dick Durbin, sharply criticised the Republican strategy, alleging that the party was attempting to push through Trump’s nominees before losing control of the Senate.
Durbin pointed to what he described as a series of procedural shortcuts, including scheduling hearings in consecutive weeks, considering candidates less than 28 days after receiving mandatory paperwork and moving forward despite Senate staff not having completed their review of FBI background checks.
He questioned the urgency behind the accelerated timetable, arguing that Republicans were concerned some of Trump’s nominees would struggle to secure approval once Democrats assumed control of the committee.
According to Durbin, the Republican leadership was attempting to secure appointments for candidates he described as politically loyal to the MAGA movement before they could face closer examination under a Democratic majority.
Appeals court nominee faces scrutiny over police defence work
Butler, the only remaining appeals court nominee yet to appear before the committee, faced pointed questions from Durbin and Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Their concerns centred on Butler’s previous work representing police officers accused of using excessive force. Particular attention was given to a lawsuit involving the arrest and prosecution of a 10-year-old Black child over public urination.
Butler acknowledged that some of the cases he had handled were difficult but argued that his legal practice extended well beyond defending law enforcement officers accused of misconduct.
He said a substantial part of his work involved training police personnel to respect constitutional protections, avoid violations of individual rights and understand their civil rights obligations.
“I defend them to the best of my ability, but that only tells half of the story of my practice,” Butler told the committee.
The accelerated confirmation effort reflects Republicans’ determination to make the most of their remaining time in control of the Senate. With Democrats preparing to take over in January, the coming weeks could prove decisive in determining how many of Trump’s judicial nominees reach the federal bench before the political balance shifts.
