During his first White House stint Donald Trump placed 234 judges on federal benches including three Supreme-Court justices — now hes ready for round-two
The legal world expects even more right-leaning picks if Trump returns to office (thanks to Republican Senate control which makes judge confirmations way easier). His previous picks already changed how courts work: they made up half of appeal-court judges and got majority in six circuit courts
The first-term picks had strong ties to conservative legal groups and used old-school constitution reading methods; this helped shape big decisions about guns abortion and govt rules. Now Trump has new helpers for picking judges: Mike Davis whos a key player in judge-picking is super-clear about what he wants — only true-blue supporters need apply
I think that Trumpʼs biggest and most consequential accomplishment of his first term was the transformation of the federal judiciary
Some current district judges might move up to appeals courts: Aileen Cannon who handled Trumps document case; Matthew Kacsmaryk who ruled on abortion pills; and Kathryn Mizelle who stopped mask rules. But theres less room for new picks now — just 47 open seats plus 20 coming up soon (and Joe Biden already has people picked for 28 spots)
Looking ahead about 247 judges could semi-retire in next four years but most judges pick retirement timing based on whos president. Still even with fewer spots to fill new picks could lock-in right-leaning courts for many years