Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jun 29

Republican Senators Press Trump to Fill 29 Judicial Vacancies Before 2026 Midterms

Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jun 29

Republican Senators Press Trump to Fill 29 Judicial Vacancies Before 2026 Midterms

Q: What is causing the gap between the number of judicial vacancies and nominees sent for confirmation?

The gap appears to stem mainly from a slow nomination-and-screening pipeline, not just empty seats waiting on floor votes. The White House has said it is still working to identify and send “qualified” judicial nominees, and Senate leaders have publicly urged the administration to submit more names. That suggests some vacancies remain unmatched because nominees have not yet been selected or formally transmitted to the Senate. Once names are sent, the process is also slowed by committee bottlenecks. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has said it has been difficult to gather enough members to vote on pending judicial nominees. Related reporting also points to practical screening delays, including incomplete background checks, missing financial disclosures, and the strain of handling many nominees at once. The Senate has recently sped up confirmations for many civilian executive posts by allowing noncontroversial nominees to be approved in large batches. But that shortcut does not apply to federal judges, who still require individual consideration and votes. That makes judicial vacancies harder to fill quickly even when the broader confirmation pace improves. So the short answer is that the vacancy-nominee gap is being driven by a combination of the administration not yet sending enough judicial names and the Senate’s slower, case-by-case vetting process for judges.

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 29

Only 10 judicial nominees were pending for 29 vacancies when the Senate left for a two-week recess, sharpening Republican complaints that Trump is moving too slowly on judges and other key posts.
GOP senators say the calendar is tightening before the midterms, with Ted Cruz and Tommy Tuberville openly urging more nominations and Senate leaders still waiting for picks for Labor secretary and FDA commissioner.
Trump has kept pace overall on confirmations only because Republicans changed Senate rules to approve batches of civilian nominees by simple majority; judges and Cabinet officials still require individual votes.
The bottleneck also reflects internal GOP friction: Chuck Grassley said his Judiciary Committee recently lacked members to advance judges, while HELP Committee politics around Bill Cassidy could complicate health-related nominees.
So far 502 second-term Trump nominees have been confirmed, versus 509 at the same point in his first term and 601 under Joe Biden, underscoring how a narrow Senate majority could leave vacancies unfilled into the election year.