Trump’s Judge Confirmation Push Faces GOP Hurdles and Self-inflicted Setbacks

WHO:

CNN - Democrats elected James Talarico to the Senate; he will have veto power over federal district-court nominees in Texas.

CNN - Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart was cited by Joshua Blackman as a candidate conservative legal advocates would have preferred over Todd Butler.

KUT - Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa could appoint a justice if one of the remaining Republican Texas Supreme Court justices retires early.

KUT - Political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said the new Texas Supreme Court justices may reassess state agencies’ authority and immunity from lawsuits.

KUT - Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock was a strong advocate for allowing judges to decline to marry couples based on religious belief.

CNN - President Donald Trump and Republican senators are seeking to confirm his judicial nominees before Democrats take control of the Senate.

CNN - Republican Sen. Ted Cruz contacted a senior Trump Justice Department lawyer about a Texas judicial vacancy; Trump later nominated T. Elliot Gaiser, head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

CNN - Other nominees discussed include Oklahoma nominees Zachary West and a second nominee; Arkansas Supreme Court Justice J. Cody Hiland; former U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky; and Mississippi nominee Todd Butler.

CNN - Republican Sen. Alan Armstrong opposes West’s Oklahoma nomination; Sen. Thom Tillis also opposes it. Sen. Roger Wicker supports Butler’s Mississippi nomination. Sen. John Cornyn raised concerns about Gaiser’s Texas nomination.

CNN - Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley and Republican Whip John Barrasso are pushing nominations. Ranking Democrat Dick Durbin criticized the committee’s process. Senate Majority Leader John Thune planned floor votes.

CNN - Conservative legal scholar Joshua Blackman said Trump “will roll over for the state senators,” resulting in picks that “probably are not the best picks.”

Alternet - The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote that Trump is “his own worst enemy” on judicial confirmations.

Alternet - Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said judges faced “an unprecedented amount of personal attacks”; he said he received six or seven credible death threats and that his daughter was doxxed by Laura Loomer and Elon Musk.

Alternet - Political analyst Tom Schaller urged Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to block Trump’s Supreme Court nominees and nearly all appeals-court nominees.

Alternet - The Bulwark’s Sarah Longwell and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Weissman discussed departures from the Justice Department, including Harmeet Dhillon, Jason Reding Quiñones, John Eisenberg, Brett Shumate and Akash Singh.

KUT - Maggie Ellis, Gisela Triana, Chari Kelly and Kristen Hawkins are incoming Democratic Texas Supreme Court justices; Ellis defeated Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock and will become Texas’ first openly LGBTQ+ statewide elected official.

KUT - Holly Taylor, Okey Anyiam and Audra Riley won seats on Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals. Jerry Zimmerer, Tom Baker and Marc Meyer won seats on the 15th Court of Appeals.

WHAT:

CNN - Trump’s judicial nominations could have a lasting impact by allowing right-leaning judges to check Democratic policies if Democrats expand their power in Washington in 2028 and beyond.

Alternet - The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board said Trump’s opportunity to reshape the judiciary was reduced by “the GOP rout” and White House mistakes that cost Republicans control of the Senate.

Alternet - Tom Schaller said Republican senators Ted Budd of North Carolina and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin won their 2022 elections with 50.5% and 50.4% of the vote, respectively. Democrats will also have to defend Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada; Cortez Masto won by fewer than 8,000 votes.

Alternet - Schaller said Democrats have fewer opportunities to gain Senate seats in 2030, and Democratic senators Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Jacky Rosen of Nevada won narrowly in 2024.

CNN - Trump’s return to office brought fewer judicial vacancies to fill than at the start of his first term, limiting his ability to match his first-term confirmation record, particularly on appeals courts.

CNN - Mississippi Democrat Scott Colom was projected to defeat Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith; Hyde-Smith had blocked Colom’s nomination to a judgeship by President Joe Biden.

KUT - Democrat Maggie Ellis said she was “completely gobsmacked” when early returns showed her ahead in the Texas Supreme Court chief justice race.

KUT - Three Republican Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges lost reelection; the six remaining Republican judges retain a majority over the three incoming Democratic judges.

KUT - Democratic candidates for the 15th Court of Appeals promoted labor-union endorsements rather than endorsements from corporations and political action committees, including the Musk-backed Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC.

CNN - Republicans are racing to confirm about two dozen Trump judicial nominees. Since January 2025, the Senate had confirmed 56 Trump nominees: 10 circuit judges, 45 district judges and one Court of International Trade judge.

Alternet - The Wall Street Journal compared those 56 confirmations with 84 judges confirmed during the same period of Trump’s first term and 84 during the corresponding period of Joe Biden’s presidency. Trump’s first-term total included 29 circuit judges, 53 district judges, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

CNN - The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed votes on two Oklahoma nominees amid opposition to West. The White House said Trump selected “two highly qualified nominees” and expressed confidence they would be confirmed.

CNN - The White House withdrew Rudofsky’s Arkansas appeals-court nomination and announced Hiland as the replacement, requiring a new hearing.

CNN - Trump also nominated a Texas Supreme Court justice who had lost reelection and announced a South Carolina judicial nominee.

Alternet - The Supreme Court has a 6–3 conservative majority. Schaller noted that Democratic presidential candidates won the popular vote in seven of nine elections from 1992 to 2024, by a combined 33.7 million votes; since 1993, presidents of each party appointed five justices.

Alternet - Schaller said Clarence Thomas, 78, and Samuel Alito, 76, could remain on the Supreme Court until 2028; Sonia Sotomayor is 72. He said replacing Thomas or Alito during a Democratic administration could produce a 5–4 liberal majority.

Alternet - Congressional Black Caucus members, including Rep. Jim Clyburn, called for adding four Supreme Court justices; Sen. Cory Booker advocated 18-year term limits.

Alternet - James Sample said Justice Department personnel had left or been fired amid pressure to pursue cases he described as crossing the line. He cited Eric Siebert’s refusal to pursue a prosecution, Lindsey Halligan’s appointment, and a grand jury’s failure to indict.

KUT - Democrats flipped seven of 18 seats across Texas’ Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. Republicans retained a 5–4 majority on the Supreme Court and a six-judge majority on the Criminal Appeals Court. Democrats won all seats on the 15th Court of Appeals.

KUT - The Texas Supreme Court has upheld state abortion and gender-affirming-care bans and allowed effective criminalization of delta-8 THC. Four justices can decide which cases the court reviews.

KUT - Ellis said she wants to reverse the rule allowing judges to decline to marry couples based on a “sincerely held” religious belief; she would need four other justices’ support. Kelly Shackelford of First Liberty Institute called her position “against religious freedom.”

KUT - The Court of Criminal Appeals decides criminal matters, including death-penalty appeals. Holly Taylor said she would uphold the law despite personal concerns about capital punishment.

WHERE:

CNN - James Talarico’s election affects the confirmation process for federal district-court nominees in Texas.

CNN - The contested judicial nominations involve Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina; the disputed appeals-court seat is on the 8th U.S. Circuit, and Butler was nominated to the 5th Circuit.

Alternet - The Justice Department departures and disputes concern the department’s offices and U.S. attorneys, including the Miami-based U.S. attorney and a grand-conspiracy investigation in Florida.

KUT - The court-election results affect Texas statewide courts, including the Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and 15th Court of Appeals.

WHEN:

CNN - Republicans are seeking confirmations before the Senate changes control in January. The article says nominees generally needed committee hearings by the following week to reach the floor by mid-December.

CNN - The article describes a November 10 confirmation hearing, a planned November 18 hearing, and a Tuesday committee meeting; Thune moved toward keeping the Senate in session through Friday.

Alternet - Schaller’s analysis refers to the election on Nov. 3 and says the next Congress convenes in January; he discussed possible Senate and White House changes in 2028.

Alternet - The Journal editorial cited confirmations since January 2025 and compared them with Trump’s first-term and Biden-era corresponding periods.

KUT - The 15th Court of Appeals was created in 2023 and had operated for two years; Coale said it had handled business cases for about six months.

WHY:

Alternet - Schaller said midterm elections generally favor the party not in the White House.

Alternet - Schaller said Senate Democrats’ willingness to block Trump’s judicial nominees will be tested when the new Congress convenes in January.

CNN - CNN reported that Trump began his second term with fewer judicial vacancies than at the start of his first term.

KUT - David Coale said the 15th Court of Appeals’ new membership and docket leave uncertainty because the court has no judicial continuity and had handled business cases for only about six months.

CNN - Republicans say the confirmation push is urgent because Democrats are expected to take Senate control and may block Trump’s nominees. Republicans fear the opportunity to confirm judges will end when control changes.

CNN - Local senators’ opposition and disputes over nominees have delayed or threatened confirmations; Cornyn objected to what he called an attempt to “air-drop” a nominee into Texas.

Alternet - The Journal editorial blamed White House mistakes and Republican losses for reducing Trump’s opportunity to confirm judges. McConnell said attacks by senior executive-branch figures contributed to threats against judges.

Alternet - Schaller attributed the Supreme Court’s ideological balance partly to the Electoral College, Mitch McConnell’s blocking of Merrick Garland, Anthony Kennedy’s 2018 retirement and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 2020 death.

KUT - Critics said the Republican-led Legislature’s 15th Court of Appeals was tilted toward state and corporate interests because Gov. Greg Abbott appointed its three inaugural judges.

HOW:

CNN - Republicans are using an accelerated Judiciary Committee schedule. Democrats can delay floor action; appellate nominations require 30 hours of Senate floor time, while district-court nominations require two hours.

CNN - Democrats criticized departures from norms of hearings at least two weeks apart and giving the committee at least 28 days to review nominees’ Senate Judiciary Questionnaires. Durbin warned that procedural violations could become routine.

CNN - The 8th Circuit seat matters to Trump-aligned advocates because filling it would give Trump-appointed judges a majority on that court.

KUT - The new Texas Supreme Court justices may set the court’s agenda because four justices can select cases for review. Its authority also includes rules governing evidence in civil cases and judicial discipline.

KUT - The 15th Court of Appeals handles appeals involving state agencies and complex business litigation; its new judges replace all three original appointees, leaving no judicial continuity, according to appellate attorney David Coale.

(UPDATED November 13, 2026 10:58 UTC)

President Trump and Republicans are racing to confirm judicial nominees before Democrats take Senate control. Texas Democrats flipped seven high-court seats, though Republicans retain majorities on both top courts. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom was projected to defeat Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.

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(UPDATED November 13, 2026 04:59 UTC)

Democrats flipped seven Texas judicial seats, while Republicans kept majorities on both statewide courts. Maggie Ellis defeated Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock. President Trump and Republican senators are racing to confirm judicial nominees before Democrats take control of the Senate.

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(UPDATED November 13, 2026 04:01 UTC)

Republicans are racing to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees before Democrats take Senate control. Disputes among Republicans have stalled several nominations, and one Arkansas pick was replaced. Texas Democrats flipped seven court seats, but Republicans retained majorities on two statewide courts.