1 month ago
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Joe Biden and Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP)
The Democratic majority in the
US Senate
launched an effort on Tuesday to confirm as many of President Joe Biden's federal judge nominees as possible, aiming to prevent vacancies that could be filled by President-elect Donald Trump once he assumes office on January 20.
The Senate was scheduled to vote on the confirmation of April Perry, Biden's nominee for a US district court judge in Illinois, on Tuesday. This marked the first such vote since Trump's victory. Perry was one of 31 nominees put forward by Biden awaiting confirmation, with 17 already reviewed by the
Senate judiciary committee
.
US Senate majority whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), chair of the Senate judiciary committee, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released a statement saying that the Senate voted to confirm April Perry's nomination:
“We are pleased that the United States Senate has confirmed April Perry to serve as a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Perry brings strong qualifications and a wealth of experience to the bench. Ms. Perry was also found unanimously ‘Well Qualified’ by the American Bar Association. Her experience and qualifications will strengthen our federal bench, and she will be ready to serve the Northern District on day one.”
"We are going to get as many done as we can," said
Democratic Senate majority
leader Chuck Schumer.
The push to confirm judges emphasises the high stakes surrounding judicial appointments.
Trump
appointed 234 judges during his term, shifting the judiciary to the right. Biden has sought to appoint liberal judges, stressing diversity in his selections.
However, the Democrats face an uphill battle. Trump has called on the Senate to halt confirmations, saying, "Democrats are looking to ram through their judges."
Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, are expected to put up strong opposition. McConnell was instrumental in confirming Trump's nominees during his tenure as majority leader.
Adding to the pressure, Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who often sides with Republicans on key issues, has said he will only vote for nominees with bipartisan support. With a slim 51-49 majority, Democrats have little room for error.
The outcome of the confirmation battle remains uncertain.
