SCOTUS Isn't the Only Court We Should Be Worried About in Trump's America @alternet

SCOTUS Isn't the Only Court We Should Be Worried About in Trump's America @alternet:

"when it comes to Trump’s bigoted influence on the judiciary, it’s not just SCOTUS we should be concerned about. A Trump-Pence administration filling a record number of federal court vacancies is terrifying — and will almost certainly happen. Thanks to Republican intransigence in the Senate — remember then Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s 2010 promise to block everything? — President-elect Trump is set to inherit over 100 judicial vacancies this week. If that sounds like A LOT, it’s because it’s twice the number Obama inherited from Bush who, in turn, inherited 80 from Clinton. In his pre-Tea Party attempt to build a bipartisan coalition, Obama was slow to nominate (Bush hit the ground running) and eventually faced an almost complete refusal to confirm in the Senate. Bush, on the other hand, enjoyed bipartisan support during his administration with a 97% success rate for district nominees, the majority of whom were confirmed faster than Obama’s nominees. President-elect Trump is set to inherit over 100 judicial vacancies this week. In 2013, Obama himself addressed the historic intransigence by noting that, “Time and again, congressional Republicans cynically used Senate rules and procedures to delay and even block qualified nominees from coming to a full vote.” As a result, he said, “my judicial nominees have waited three times longer to receive confirmation votes than those of my Republican predecessor.” Three times longer. And it got worse after Republicans captured the Senate in 2015. Trump, on the other hand, could conceivably be handed a rubber stamp for his nominees with hearings and confirmation votes being mere formalities (this list provides a comprehensive look at the confirmation process for judgeships)."