06.25.26

The Senate Continues Confirming President Trump’s Nominees to Federal Judgeships Ahead of the First Term Pace

The Senate Confirmed Two More Article III Federal Judges This Week, and the Senate Judiciary Committee Continues Working at Record Speed

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AS OF THIS WEEK, THE SENATE HAS CONFIRMED 45 JUDGES TO ARTICLE III APPELLATE AND DISTRICT COURTS, OUTPACING THE CONFIRMATION RATE OF THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

  • This week, the Senate confirmed John Marck as U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas and Michael Hendershot as U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Ohio. (PN930-7: Roll Call Vote #186 – 6/24/26; PN930-2: Roll Call Vote #188 – 6/24/26)
  • Their confirmations bring the total number of U.S. circuit and district judges confirmed this Congress to 45. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 6/25/26)
    • Wednesday also marked the 500th civilian nomination confirmed by the Senate. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 6/25/26)
  • The 119th Senate is now well ahead of the pace of confirmations of Article III federal judges compared to this point during the first Trump administration, when only 40 had been confirmed. (U.S. Congress: President Trump Judicial Nominations (2017-2018) – accessed 6/25/26)
  • The Senate will continue confirming President Trump’s well-qualified judicial nominees at a rapid pace,having invoked cloture on Matthew Schwartz’s nomination to serve as U.S. circuit judge for the Second Circuit and Arthur Jones’ nomination to serve as U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas. (PN938-2: Roll Call Vote #191 – 6/24/26; PN930-3: Roll Call Vote #189 – 6/24/26)
  • All of this has been accomplished in the face of historic Democrat obstruction: Democrats still have not allowed a single civilian nomination in President Trump’s second term to be confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent, the first time in recorded history this has happened. (U.S. Congress: 119th Congress Nominations – accessed 6/25/26; The Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Thune Says Trump Nominees Are Being Confirmed At Rapid Pace Despite ‘Historic’ Obstruction – 6/14/25)
    • By contrast, in President Trump’s first term, 33 Article III federal judges were confirmed by voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President Trump Judicial Nominations (2017-2021) – accessed 6/25/26)

AS NOMINEES CLEAR THE SENATE FLOOR, THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CONTINUES WORKING EXPEDITIOUSLY TO ENSURE AMERICA’S JUDICIAL SYSTEM CAN FUNCTION AS INTENDED

“As chairman, I’ve ensured efficient consideration of nominations and under my leadership this Congress we’re processing judicial nominations at a historic pace. In fact, if you look at the time between nomination and confirmation, we’ve advanced and confirmed Article III judges faster than at any time since Ronald Reagan’s presidency. In 2025 and 2026, we’ve advanced and confirmed circuit judges nearly twice as fast as during the first Trump and Biden administrations. We’ve had even greater success with district court nominations, where we’ve tripled the pace of the first Trump administration.” – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

  • This Congress, under Chairman Grassley’s leadership, the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced 132 of President Trump’s nominations to key posts throughout the federal judiciary, including:
  • In 2025, the Senate Judiciary Committee “processed more judges than any time since 1981.” (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary: ICYMI: Grassley Joins The Washington Times’ Alex Swoyer to Discuss Arctic Frost, Whistleblower Advocacy, FISA and Judicial Confirmations – 6/16/26)
  • Just as President Trump’s nominees to serve as federal judges have faced historic Democrat obstruction, Democrats have also made it harder for the Judiciary Committee to do its work and process routine nominations:
    • “Historically, executive nominees – like U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals – were routinely confirmed on a bipartisan basis due to their non-political and non-controversial nature. That bipartisan tradition was destroyed last year when Senate Democrats placed a blanket hold on all of President Trump’s 93 U.S. Attorneys.” (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Senate Republicans Confirm 13 U.S. Attorneys, 8 U.S. Marshals – 5/18/26)

WHILE REPUBLICANS CONTINUE CONFIRMING WELL-QUALIFIED NOMINEES TO IMPORTANT POSTS, DEMOCRATS MAKE CLEAR THEIR DISDAIN FOR AMERICAN LEGAL INSTITUTIONS

“Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence our form of government. It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from the Government. It requires of the people a subservience and weakness incompatible with a Constitution premised on the transcendent origin of our rights.” – Justice Clarence Thomas (4/15/26)

  • “[W]hat really angers Democrats is that the Supreme Court is no longer a second progressive legislature that can impose policies they can’t get through Congress.” (The Wall Street Journal: Editorial: Democrats Promise to Wreck the Supreme Court – 5/31/26)
  • “Democrats are telling the public they are plotting one of American history’s most destabilizing power grabs, by degrading the third branch of government.” (The Wall Street Journal: Editorial: Democrats Promise to Wreck the Supreme Court – 5/31/26)
  • In a recent interview, Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he “pitched candidates on importance of Dem senate”: (Politico’s Jordain Carney: post on X – 6/12/26)
  • Forecasting their ambition to destroy the Article III branch of the federal government if they regain power, Democrats are gleeful at the chance to pack the court:
  • “The leaders of several prominent House Democratic caucuses are proposing a Supreme Court overhaul… Their resolution obtained by POLITICO calls for the expansion of the Supreme Court and to establish term limits and a code of ethics for justices.”
    • “The measure also lays down a marker for progressives — who will be emboldened next Congress after defeating several incumbents in New York City on Tuesday — as they seek to influence the Democratic agenda.” (Politico: Key House caucus leaders target Supreme Court, Senate filibuster – 6/24/26)
    • “The Court’s far-right supermajority poses a serious threat to any future attempts by Congress to realize the promise of a multiracial democracy, rein in executive power, champion worker’s rights, protect voting rights, and restore and strengthen the Federal protections against racial discrimination in the Voting Rights Act.” – House Democrat Caucuses’ Resolution
  • Recent Democrat primaries have followed this trend, demonstrating the party’s radical lurch to the left – the winners’ “positions are some of the most extreme & far left Dems have seen:”
    • “Darializa Avila Chevalier (NY-13): Abolish prisons, abolish ICE, abolish borders, defund the police, and ‘all deportations are wrong’, including for violent criminals. She has called the U.S. an ‘effing disgrace’, and said in a prior social media post ‘I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.’”
    • “Claire Valdez (NY-7): Grant citizenship and voting rights to illegal aliens, use taxpayer funds for all transgender treatments, & eliminate private health insurance.”
    • “Brad Lander (NY-10): Abolish ICE, forgive all student loans (almost $2 trillion worth), expand the Supreme Court.” (Fox News’ Bill Melugin: post on X – 6/23/26)