Former president's next wave of judge picks could reshape US courts forever
A deep-dive into how judicial appointments might look different in a potential second term. With Republican Senate backing expected new nominees could push courts further to the right than before
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
