Vox: “No president in recent memory has done more to change the judiciary than Donald Trump.”
In 2016, Trump pledged that all his judicial nominations would be picked by the Federalist Society, a group of right-wing lawyers that has served as a vehicle for powerful interests. Since then, Trump and his Republican Senate have packed our courts with staunch conservatives that have attacked our voting rights, dismantled campaign finance laws, and allowed states to deny health care access for millions of Americans.
One-fourth of active judges on the courts of appeal, the final decision-maker in the majority of federal cases, are Trump appointees. And with Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings well underway, Trump is on route to solidify his far-right control over our judiciary.
As Vox reports, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has “turned the Senate into a machine that churns out judicial confirmations and does little else” -- despite previously blocking Barack Obama’s judicial nominations. The next president and Senate will appoint another wave of federal judges, and we need to ensure that those choices are reflective of the will of the American people. But many Americans do not consider the judiciary when casting their votes, and in bringing light to this growing issue, we need to know every engaged voter is aware before voting.
