President Biden on Thursday praised the 235 judicial confirmations he achieved during his administration, calling the judges he appoints to federal courts a valuable guarantee of democracy as President-elect Trump prepares to assume the presidency again. He claimed it worked.
“I'm proud of the legacy we can leave for our country in terms of judges,” Biden said. “I think we're going to be proud of these women and men who were appointed, and we're going to re-establish the safeguards that are built into our Constitution.”
Biden was joined at the event by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Biden noted that he has repeatedly warned during his time in office that the country's democratic institutions are in jeopardy, and argued that some of the court's rulings are “constitutionally meaningless.” He previously criticized the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, end affirmative action, and grant presidents broad immunity for official conduct.
“Judges matter,” Biden said Thursday. “I never thought I'd be talking about shaping the daily lives of Americans, protecting our fundamental freedoms, defending our constitutional freedoms, while respecting our principles. [of] Precedent is important. ”
Democrats have expressed concern that the incoming Trump administration is attacking democratic norms and using the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to roll back fundamental rights.
Introducing Biden, Schumer said the judges appointed by Biden and confirmed by the Democratic-led Senate over the past four years will serve as a “shield to protect democracy.”
“The good news is that these judges will act as a barrier to attacks on our democratic institutions,” Schumer said. “At the district level, these judges will have the first and often decisive influence on cases that have major implications for voting rights, elections, and democracy.”
The 235 confirmed judges include Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who made history as the first black woman confirmed to the court, as well as 45 Court of Appeals judges, 187 District Court judges, and the Court of International Trade. Includes two judges.
Late last month, the 235th judge was confirmed, surpassing Trump's record of 234 judges confirmed in his first term.
However, Mr. Trump has had the opportunity to appoint three Supreme Court justices, strengthening the high court's conservative leanings and making important changes in recent years regarding abortion rights, presidential immunity, and affirmative action. This paved the way for a successful verdict.
In his remarks, Durbin noted that Biden faces hurdles in winning the confirmation of so many judges. For the first two years of Biden's term, the Senate was split 50-50, and for the second two years, Democrats held just a 51-49 majority.
