Ben Kew:
President-elect Donald Trump will be free to appoint over 100 federal court vacancies as well as a Supreme Court justice when he becomes president next month.
103 federal court positions will be left to Trump’s discretion when he assumes office, almost double that of Barack Obama in 2008, who had 54.
The appointments will be an opportunity for Trump to push forward a conservative agenda, with judges responsible for laws surrounding everything from gun rights to immigration and equality law.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the conservative group Judicial Crisis Network, which campaigned against many of Obama’s court choices, said that she was “optimistic he’ll [Trump] come at this right out of the gate.”
“Every president can expect to make a huge impact. [Trump] is unique in having campaigned really hard on this issue, the significance of the courts, and of the Supreme Court in particular,” she continued.
The vacancy on the Supreme Court comes following the death of conservative Supreme Court judge Justice Antonin Scalia in February earlier this year.
The question of the Supreme Court nominee became a defining issue for conservatives during the presidential election campaign, with Trump regularly promising to appoint a conservative in order to appeal to the Republican base.
Keep Clerence Thomas dump Loretta Lynch
Uhh, aside from those being 2 separate positions, Einstein, a president neither dumps or keeps a Supreme Court Justice.
And just so you know, Judge Judy isn’t one of them.
@Ajay42302: I think the Plover comment was humor. Of course, you liberals are still crying so you likely didn’t notice
100 currently pending vacancies, 75 currently pending lawsuits…and more will invariably arise on an ongoing basis. The Trump administration is going to be built out of potential conflicts of interest the same way the White House is built out of lumber and bricks. There could be a problem lurking behind every appointment, every communication, every decision. And you’ve never even required an examination of the guy’s tax returns to get some idea what and where they might be.
With Clinton, you were certain every email was evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, demanded to see everything, and gave her reasonable benefit of the doubt on nothing whatsoever.
If there’s any hope we’ll get through the Trump presidency intact, it resides in the fact that over 2.8 million more voters saw the total absurdity of this situation than didn’t. That number isn’t going to become less between now and the next elections. Blame is going to be laid at the door of Congress in two years because there won’t be anywhere else to put it—unless, of course, Congress takes up the battle against Trump out of fear of losing their own cushy seats.
@Greg: