In a strategic move to counter Donald Trump’s potential policies, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer disclosed his behind-the-scenes collaboration with President Biden to reshape the federal judiciary with liberal judges.
The Democratic duo successfully confirmed 235 federal judges during Biden’s term, surpassing Trump’s appointments by one; a strategy Schumer says he imitated from George W. Bush.
This achievement represents 25 percent of the federal judiciary and marks the highest number of confirmations in a single term since Jimmy Carter’s administration.
“I don’t know exactly what he’ll do. But I can tell you this: The judiciary will be one of our strongest – if not our strongest – barrier against what he does,” Schumer told Politico.
The New York Democrat revealed that he and Biden prioritized judicial confirmations from day one, sometimes placing them ahead of policy initiatives.
“When we started out, we knew it would be a very difficult job to do more than Trump had done but we did,” Schumer said.
“The two did go hand in hand. If you asked me which one was more important, I wouldn’t want to pick among my children.”
Biden’s judicial picks notably diverged from traditional nominees.
Approximately two-thirds are women, with a majority being people of color.
Daily Mail highlighted that more than 45 appointees have public defender backgrounds, while over two dozen served as civil rights lawyers.
The outlet referenced a statement from Biden where he said, “’When I ran for President, I promised to build a bench that looks like America and reflects the promise of our nation.”
“And I’m proud I kept my commitment to bolstering confidence in judicial decision-making and outcomes,’ the president added.
The administration’s judicial strategy faced recent criticism when Biden vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have created 66 new federal judgeships.
Conservative legal analyst Jonathan Turley condemned the decision in a Fox News op-ed, calling Biden a “craven partisan.”
The White House defended the veto, citing concerns about “hurried action” and questioning the true motivations behind the bill’s timing.
Looking ahead, Trump will inherit nearly three dozen judicial vacancies, with more expected as Republican-appointed judges who delayed retirement anticipate his return.
Some liberal judges, however, face scrutiny after withdrawing their retirement plans following Trump’s November victory.
The Article III Project, led by Trump ally Mike Davis, has filed judicial misconduct complaints against two trial court judges who rescinded their retirement plans: U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn and U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley.
Senator Chuck Grassley, the incoming Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, acknowledged Democrats’ strategic shift.
“They learned a lesson from the first Trump administration,” Grassley noted, per Daily Mail.
“Let me assure you, by January 20th of 2029, Trump will be bragging about getting 240 judges,” he added.
Schumer also revealed to Politico his fears that Trump and Republicans will try to dismantle Biden’s record on everything.
“They have so many different parts of MAGA: the people who are anti-women’s rights; the people who are anti-environment; the people who are anti-working people rights and union rights; the people who are anti-the consumer,” he claimed.
“They’re going to use the judiciary in every way they can.”
