Senate Republicans kick off lame-duck dash to advance Trump judge picks
Republicans are seeking about 25 more confirmations before Democrats take control, while the White House presses to fill other pending posts.
- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump formally announced three new judicial nominees—T. Elliot Gaiser, Justice James Sullivan, and William Grayson Lambert—as Senate Republicans accelerated confirmation efforts before Democrats assume control.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged colleagues to extend the legislative calendar and increase voting hours, as Republicans race to maximize their remaining time before Senate Democrats take over next year.
- Facing opposition from Arkansas senators, President Trump withdrew U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Tuesday, tapping Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland instead.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance four judicial nominees to the Senate floor Tuesday and scheduled additional votes on six other pending picks, advancing Trump's confirmation agenda.
- With a Democratic senator set to represent states like Kansas or Mississippi for six years, Republicans face hurdles confirming judges in opposition-held states, complicating future judicial confirmations after the transition.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Trump withdraws Rudofsky nomination for federal judge post in Arkansas
The exterior of the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri on Friday, June 5, 2026. The courthouse includes the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (Photo by Andrew DeMillo/Arkansas Advocate) By:Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate President
'No one' is getting confirmed: Trump’s court-stacking dream hits a wall
President Donald Trump and the Republicans’ effort to shift the courts to the right could be at an end, with the Democrats set to take control of the Senate next year.During his first term, he put over 230 judges on the federal bench, including three on the Supreme Court. So far in his second term, the Senate has confirmed 57 of the president’s judicial appointments. In total, Trump nominees now make up about one-third of the active federal benc…
Trump withdraws Rudofsky nomination, picks Hiland for 8th Circuit Court of Appeals | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pulled an Arkansas judge’s nomination to a federal circuit court amid doubts about whether the home-state’s U.S. senators backed the nominee.
Senate Republicans Pauses Leadership Votes to Hear Demands from Members About Lame Duck Strategy
Senate Republicans on Tuesday suspended the leadership contest after two hours of deliberations as conservative lawmakers pressed Majority Leader John Thune for a plan to advance their conference's priorities until the end of December, after which Democrats take control of the chamber. Thune hopes to hold leadership elections this afternoon and the pause does not mean that the chamber will delay the proceedings.
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