Vice President Kamala Harris may now go to Capitol Hill to defy Donald Trump in what may be her final significant act as president, following a heartbreaking defeat to him.
In an ambitious endeavor to surpass the 234 judges Trump appointed during his first term, Democrats are preparing for the prospect of tight calls as President Joe Biden tries to move forward with a flurry of court appointments before he leaves the White House.
Harris would be useful in this situation. Harris has the constitutional authority to provide a tie-breaking vote in his capacity as Senate president. Throughout Biden’s term, Harris has been the go-to person for Democrats’ narrow majority. Last year, she broke the record for the most decisive votes cast by a vice president in history.
According to three people with knowledge of the discussion, it was brought up during Harris and Biden’s lunch meeting last week, their first post-election encounter, because it is a topic that is so significant to the president and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“They want to clear the decks on this,” stated a top Harris aide.
According to a second top aide, she will undoubtedly be available for any tie votes.
According to a third party with knowledge of internal dynamics, it is a major focus.
According to one of the sources, the Senate votes aren’t anticipated to be held until December because Harris is departing on Tuesday for a vacation in Hawaii.
According to a top Harris staffer, the vice president postponed her travel to California and Hawaii in case she was required for Senate votes to approve judges. Harris was scheduled to go on the trip this past weekend, but he left on Tuesday with the goal of going back to D.C. to get the votes he needed. According to one aide and someone with planning experience, the team decided she wasn’t needed in D.C. at the moment, but they did anticipate a significant fight over judicial candidates in December.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, stated that she had been informed that Harris would be willing to sever judicial ties if necessary. If she had discussed it with Harris directly, she would not say.
“We’re trying to fill as many judicial nominations as possible,” Warren stated.
According to multiple people familiar with the discussions, Schumer has made it clear that he wants to complete these confirmations before Biden leaves office.
He has stated that, like Republicans did in late 2020, he will confirm additional judges during the lame-duck session, which is the time between the election and the inauguration of the next president.
The lame duck will be used to confirm judges. In a recent interview, Schumer told NBC News, “And we’re going to do everything we can to get as many judges done as possible, trying to overcome the Republican obstruction.”
Trump is already annoyed by it, indicating that Republicans ought to thwart any Democratic efforts to advance their court agenda.
On their way out, the Democrats are attempting to fill the courts with judges from the radical left. Senators of the Republican Party must appear and maintain the line. Before the day of the inauguration, no additional judges had been confirmed! On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social.
However, it is beyond the capacity of Republicans, who notoriously pushed through a Trump Supreme Court appointment just one week before the 2020 election.
Democrats need a simple majority to get over any obstacles and confirm judges, but GOP senators can drag down the process.After Trump lost the election, Senate Republicans continued to confirm his judges in the 2020 lame duck session, according to a senior Biden administration official involved in judicial nominations.
Before they cede power to the incoming Congress, which will be controlled by Republicans in both houses, Schumer and Senate Democrats have made it their top priority to confirm additional justices.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, stated, “We will confirm as many judges as possible in the lame duck.”
After Democrats approved a judge to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, the dispute reached a climax. In order to set up seven more confirmation votes on judges chosen by Biden later this week, Schumer kept the Senate in session until almost midnight, holding an additional 18 roll-call votes over a six-hour period.
Biden would have 223 federal judges in total if they were all confirmed.
That is nearly equal to the 234 judges Trump ultimately confirmed during his first term, a figure Democrats have sought to surpass since defeating him in the 2020 election. But Schumers stopped short of promising it this summer.
According to the Biden administration official, there are enough nominees on the calendar or awaiting committee review that the Trump figure can be surpassed.
The authority stated that we could surpass the 234. This has nothing to do with surpassing Trump’s numbers. Putting good people on the bench is the goal here. Does 235 represent a realistic possibility? Yes, it is. But it’s not motivated by that.
The White House has not yet disclosed any intentions to nominate judges for further open positions. This contains a number of red state vacancies that are subject to the blue slip courtesy, which requires Republican senators from the home state to sign off before they may be considered.
The senior administration official would not say if Biden has discussed lame-duck confirmations with Schumer or Harris.
“I will not discuss the president’s conversations,” the official stated. However, you can be sure that people are still talking about and participating in this.
The idea that Harris would be available to sever relations gave a Senate Democratic aide hope.
The assistant said, “I hope she’s not needed.” However, I’m happy that’s a possibility while the Democrats hold the majority.
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