Free Republic

President Donald Trump is reshaping the federal judiciary at a staggering rate with the help of Republican Senate leaders and a high number of vacancies from the Obama era. In his first two years, Trump has appointed more judges to the appellate bench than any of the previous five presidents, according to a recent report by Lambda Legal, tapping dozens of conservative lawyers for influential seats on U.S. circuit courts around the country. That pace quickened in 2018 when he more than doubled the number of circuit judges from the year before, the LGBTQ rights group found.

Federal judge hopeful closer to post Panel OKs Junell for Midland; 5th Circuit has a new candidate 02/07/2003 By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of former Texas House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rob Junell for a federal judgeship in Midland. The endorsement of the San Angelo lawyer came the same day the White House announced it wants to elevate U.S. District Judge Edward Prado of San Antonio to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Prado nomination is President Bush's third to the New Orleans-based 5th...

Senator seeks to streamline approval of judges Democrats expected to fight Hatch's plan to speed Bush nominees 01/24/2003 Associated Press WASHINGTON - With Republicans in charge and President Bush calling for quick action on his judicial choices, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said he plans to make it harder for Democratic senators to block home-state nominees for federal judgeships. At issue is the "blue slip" tradition, referring to blue-colored approval papers that senators are asked to submit on nominees to fill vacant federal judgeships in their states. For the last few years, both home-state senators had to submit...

Owen, Pickering tapped again Bush nominates jurists Democrats rejected for appeals court 01/08/2003 By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON - President Bush renominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen and Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering on Tuesday for seats on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, rekindling a dispute with Senate Democrats, who rejected the nominees last year. Justice Owen and Judge Pickering were among 31 judicial candidates submitted on the first day of the new Congress. While Justice Owen's defenders had vowed her name would be swiftly re-offered, Judge Pickering's future had appeared less certain....