Courts overloaded now—not enough judges being confirmed
Zachary Gima 23, Vice President of Strategic Engagement, “President Biden Has Fallen Behind His Predecessor on Judicial Confirmations”, ACS, https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/president-biden-has-fallen-behind-his-predecessor-on-judicial-confirmations/, August 1, 2023
As of August 1, President Biden has fallen behind his predecessor on the number of federal court vacancies he has filled. President Biden has had 140 federal judges confirmed thus far, whereas former President Trump had had 144 judges confirmed by the end of July of his third year.
This lag is disappointing from a White House and Senate that have taken pride in exceeding the pace of judicial confirmation set by the previous administration. However, with 31 judicial nominees pending with the Senate, it is hard to blame the White House for this undesired milestone. President Biden falling behind Trump is predominantly the result of the Senate majority deprioritizing judges since November of last year. There remains an opportunity, albeit an up-hill one, for President Biden and the Senate to exceed the 187 judges that Trump had confirmed by the end of his third year, but it will require a much more concerted commitment by the Senate between now and the end of the year.