Senate confirms Trump’s 200th judicial appointee News
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Senate confirms Trump’s 200th judicial appointee

The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s 200th judicial appointee Wednesday, marking a milestone for Trump’s impact on the federal judiciary.

By a vote of 52-48, the Senate approved the appointment of Judge Cory Wilson from Mississippi. Wilson previously served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals and will soon assume office on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Despite not having served a full term in office, Trump now ranks eighth among presidents for the number of judicial nominees successfully confirmed.

Many attribute Trump’s success to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who blocked many of former president Barack Obama’s nominations in the final two years of his presidency, leaving a number of vacant seats for the Trump administration to fill. McConnell has also allowed for the passage of federal judges without blue slip approval, a historic practice of requiring home-state senators to approve of a nominee before the Senate holds a vote.

Trump touted this achievement at his campaign rally in Oklahoma last week and signaled that the administration will be approving many more judges by the end of his term. He stated, “We will have close to 300 federal judges appointed and approved by the end of my first term, that’s an all-time record. … And when we have another four years, we’re going to have a big, big percentage of the total number.”