WASHINGTON — Sitting presidents have a role in nominating who serves as a judge in the federal court system, from lower courts all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning took a closer look at what the reelection of President-elect Donald Trump would mean for the federal system, as Supreme Court Justices have lifetime appointments.
Right now, there’s a six to three makeup with a conservative majority. During his previous term, President-elect Trump appointed three justices, all of whom were confirmed by a then-Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.
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During his term, President Joe Biden appointed a liberal judge, confirmed by the Democrat-controlled Senate.
This week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell touted the success of SCOTUS confirmations during the first Trump presidency, as well as the dozens of lower court judges confirmed.
“We did pretty well with narrow majorities around the previous administration,” McConnell said. “Three new Supreme Court justices, 54 new circuit judges.”
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Now, with Trump taking office for a second term with a GOP majority in the Senate again, it’ll be easier for him to get any potential nominees confirmed and put on the bench.
Supreme Court rulings have major implications for Americans that last for decades, far longer than the time of any one presidency.
The current conservative-leaning court reversed Roe v. Wade, eliminating federal protections for abortion rights and leading to a wave of different state policies across the United States.
Last year, the court also ruled that race cannot be a consideration during college admissions processes, overturning a policy known as affirmative action in higher education.
There’s a possibility that one or two older justices may consider retiring. If that happens while Trump is in office over the next four years, he would be able to appoint new conservative-leaning justices who could sit on the bench for decades to come.
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