Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is on track to match or break the Trump-era record of judicial confirmations after a late-night deal with Republicans, Axios reports. Schumer axed four nominees for federal appeals courts in exchange for a path to passage for over a dozen judges through the end of the year. Schumer lacked the votes to fill the four vacancies that he will leave open for the Trump administration. Republicans forced Schumer to the negotiating table after dragging out judicial confirmation votes past midnight.
Senate Democrats have confirmed 221 judges under the Biden administration, 13 short of matching the GOP record from the first Trump administration. Schumer will hold confirmation votes on seven judicial nominees when lawmakers return in two weeks, putting him within striking distance of the first Trump administration number. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday also advanced six more nominations that Schumer can schedule for a floor vote. If all of those nominees are confirmed, he would match the 234 nominees confirmed by the GOP under Trump. One district judge confirmed this week was Amir Ali, a veteran appellate litigator and civil rights lawyer, to a seat on the federal trial court in the District of Columbia. Ali, who led the MacArthur Justice Center since 2021, confirmed by a 50 to 49 vote.