It is easy to let our guard down and forget the huge effects of filling the judicial vacancies of the lower federal courts in light of the Supreme Court. But the Neil Gorsuch appointment was just one victory. President Trump has plenty of qualified, pro-life nominees in tow. Yet that’s not enough, because getting them confirmed has been nearly impossible. Whether with judges or other nominations, Senate Democrats are dragging their feet and runing every kind of obstruction against qualified nominees.
According to Sen. John Barasso’s office, “President Obama had 206 of his nominees confirmed in the first six months of his administration, while President Trump has had only 55 nominees confirmed…The first six months of President Trump’s administration, he made 257 nominations to important judicial and administration positions, yet the Senate confirmed only 55 of these nominees. These confirmation delays result mostly from Democrats putting up roadblocks on even the most non-controversial nominees and insisting that Republicans file cloture on the majority of nominations.”
Even though they can’t oppose every nominee forever, the Democrats have no intention of backing down. The obstructionism coming from them is unprecedented. No administration has seen anything like it before. But, then again, there has never been a president quite like Trump. Liberals don’t know what to do with themselves, so they’re throwing themselves on the floor and refusing to budge like a bunch of three-year-olds who’ve been refused candy at the grocery store. It’s embarrassing (to them).
Needed Public Work Isn’t Getting Done
In the meantime, many positions are left unfilled, executive offices understaffed, and our government security spread thin. The obstruction is not just limited to judges. It spans across key administration posts that are left in limbo for Senate approval. Each day the line is growing.
The courts of appeals have jurisdiction over 13 federal circuits. They have the final word on most federal cases, since the Supreme Court can handle only a handful of the cases that reach that level. The judges for these courts, as well as for the district courts below them, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as are Supreme Court justices. There are no fewer than 134 vacancies to fill in federal courts. Only 52 have been considered
The obstruction does not only come from Democrat officials. We have seen the fake news media viciously drag people’s names through the mud, run bogus stories relentlessly (like Russian collusion), and other nonsense to the detriment of moving forward with real business. Not only are the president’s picks up against the intimidation of a media maelstrom, but they have to face long, inevitable delays. It’s no surprise some have backed out. It takes thick skin to accept a nomination.
Help Move Things Along
These brave people need our support, and we have to have their backs and fight for them. When our nominees are attacked, we see it as an attack on us because they are our brothers and sisters in this fight. Likewise, when the president is attacked, we will instead express our gratitude for his steadfastness in fulfilling his campaign promises about the kind of people he would nominate. We are not powerless to help them. We can form our own strategies for victory.
The first step to counterattack is to stay informed about President Trump’s various nominees. Priests for Life helps with our action alerts, op-eds, and other communications. When the Left strikes with negativity, we will strike back publicly with a barrage of positivity. By arming ourselves with accurate information, we can contradict the often slanderous claims and innuendos, and defend these nominees as we communicate with our friends and families, on our social media, and everywhere we have influence.
A call or two to Democratic members of Congress would go a long way too, to tell them to do the work for which they were elected rather than to obstruct it. The election is long over and the business of the American people is long overdue.
