White House Releases Names of First Ten Judicial Nominees in Push to Fill Over 120 Vacancies on Federal Courts

Trump to Reshape Federal Judiciary to Comport With His Policies

The White House released a list of the first ten nominees to begin their push to fill vacancies in the Federal court system Monday. There are currently more than 120 open seats and a majority of conservative groups see this as an opportunity to negate what has long been perceived by them as a liberal bias in the U.S. judiciary. Conservatives see this as an opportunity to counter what they claim is “legislating from the bench.”

Two of the president’s nominees, Joan Larsen and David Stras, were previously considered for nomination for the Supreme Court seat filled by now-Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. Larsen, a senior judge on Michigan’s Supreme Court, is being nominated for the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, while Stras, a judge on the Minnesota Supreme Court, has been tapped for the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

One of the president’s other picks, John K. Bush, a conservative lawyer from Louisville, Kentucky who currently heads the local Louisville chapter of the Federalist Society – a conservative legal group which has tried to move the national debate on gun rights and campaign finance to the far right – has also been slated for an open seat on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court.

During the briefing Monday White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters the nominees were “chosen for their deep knowledge of the law,” and their commitment to upholding constitutional principles. Spicer also indicated the White House will move ahead in the coming months to reduce the backlog of vacancies on the courts. 

As of Monday there was only one judicial nominee pending before the Senate, Amul Thapar, for the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, who is still waiting for the Senate to confirm him to the 6th Circuit Court.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative group that just fired its president, former Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint, helped the White House compose its lists of potential nominees.

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Brody Levesque is the Chief Political Correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement.
You may contact Brody at Brody.Levesque@thenewcivilrightsmovement.com