Remaking the Courts – What President Trump is doing to reshape the bench
Bottom Line: As a libertarianish conservative, the one trait of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell I genuinely appreciate is his effectiveness in aiding President Trump’s reshaping of the courts. Anyone paying even occasional attention is aware of his two Supreme Court judges, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Most astute observers have begun to notice the changes at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but even the most observant followers of the news probably can’t name the total number of judges placed on federal courts by the Trump administration.
Here’s the scorecard:
- Supreme Court: 2
- U.S. Appeals Courts: 43
- U.S. District Courts: 105
- International Trade Court: 2
- Federal Claims Court: 2
- U.S. Tax Court: 4
- Veterans Court: 4
- Military Commision: 1
- Armed Forces Appeals Court: 1
That’s a total of 164 confirmed judges at federal courts. Here’s another way of looking at it. He’s been in office for 998 days. He’s averaging a new judge every six days of his Presidency. That’s a rate that’s 28% faster than President Obama’s confirmations. President Trump is on pace for potentially record setting judicial appointments to federal courts. If he wins re-election there’s a good chance he’ll have enacted generational reform for the United States legal system. It’s an understated accomplishment in his administration thus far.