Senate Deal Expedites Confirmation of 13 Judges

Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a deal enabling Democrats to expedite the confirmation of 13 federal judges before the end of the current Congress. In exchange, Democrats agreed not to move forward with four of President Biden’s appellate court nominees, leaving those positions for President-elect Donald Trump to fill. The agreement aims to push Biden’s total judicial confirmations closer to the 234 achieved during Trump's first term. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been working to confirm as many judges as possible before Republicans take control of the Senate in January. Notable nominees excluded from confirmation include Adeel Mangi, who would have been the first Muslim federal appellate judge, and Julia Lipez, whose nomination was opposed by Republicans. This compromise involved procedural votes and late-night sessions to fulfill the agreement before the Senate recesses for Thanksgiving.