Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday set up votes on lifetime appointments for 19 judicial nominees next week, setting up a busy pre-recess work session on a top GOP priority.
McConnell’s move means likely confirmation of 19 District Court level judges; the GOP leader had focused on the higher-level Circuit Court judges for the first 30 months of Donald Trump’s presidency, filling all but four vacancies on the appeals courts.
Now McConnell is beginning to work his way through the 111 District Court vacancies even as the House heads home for the summer this week.
Senate Democrats are clearly fighting the judges, requiring McConnell to force procedural votes on each nominee. But under a GOP rules change earlier this year triggered by the “nuclear option,” Democrats can only delay each of those nominees by two hours a piece next week rather than 30 hours, the previous limit. A handful of those judges will likely receive significant bipartisan support.
The Senate will also confirm Kelly Craft to be ambassador to the United Nations and David Norquist to be deputy Defense secretary, and will approve a two-year budget deal struck by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
“Not bad for a week’s work and that’s what the Senate will accomplish before we adjourn for August,” McConnell said on the floor.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine