Washington D.C. – The US Senate has made a strategic decision not to hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees in order to streamline the confirmation process for other judicial nominations. This move brings President Biden closer to reaching the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during former President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Currently, the number of judges confirmed under President Biden totals 221, with efforts being made to push more confirmations through before the congressional session ends and Republicans take control of the Senate in January.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, faced challenges this week with Republicans forcing procedural votes and late-night sessions in an attempt to expedite the confirmation process. A time agreement has now been reached to consider seven district court judges in the first week of December, with an additional six district judges slated for consideration on the Senate floor in December. However, the four circuit judge nominations of Adeel Abdullah Mangi, Karla Campbell, Julia Lipez, and Ryan Young Park were not included in the list for a floor vote.
Adeel Abdullah Mangi, who would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge, faced opposition despite his impressive legal background and qualifications. The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are notoriously challenging due to their critical role in the judicial system. Schumer’s office stated that the four circuit nominees did not have enough support for confirmation, resulting in Democrats pushing forward with a higher number of other judicial nominees as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups have been advocating for Senate Democrats to prioritize the confirmation of all of President Biden’s judicial nominees before the end of the congressional session. Some expressed disappointment with the exclusion of critical circuit court nominees from the agreement, emphasizing the urgency to confirm these judges before the end of Congress. Critics, including former Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, warn against retreating in the face of potential challenges when former President Trump returns to office, emphasizing the importance of standing strong against extremism in the judiciary.