Senate Republicans Advance Four Trump Judicial Nominees in Lame-Duck Push

Senate Republicans moved quickly on Tuesday to advance four Trump judicial nominees, opening a lame-duck push to fill as many lifetime federal judgeships as possible before Democrats take control of the chamber in January. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the four district-court picks to the full Senate, and Chairman Chuck Grassley said Republicans would keep working to confirm as many as they can.

The votes came one week after the November 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats swept to a Senate majority that takes effect in January. With the clock running on Republican control, the committee began what Grassley has called a final sprint to move every pending nominee it can.

Key Points

• Kyle Reardon of Alaska, a Trump district-court pick, advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, November 10, by a 16-6 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans.
• Three other district-court nominees — Daniel Ballou of the Eastern District of Kentucky, Richard Bennett of the Southern District of Texas and Courtney Coker of the Northern District of Texas — cleared the panel on party-line 12-10 votes.
• The committee then held a hearing for four more nominees, including Todd Butler, a partner at Phelps Dunbar in Mississippi nominated to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
• About 23 judicial nominees remain pending in the Senate, but only three are on the floor and ready to begin the confirmation process.
• If confirmed, the new judges would add to the 56 lifetime judicial appointments President Donald Trump has made in his second term, on top of 234 in his first term.

What Happened

On Tuesday, November 10, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee began a push to advance as many of President Donald Trump’s remaining judicial nominees as possible before Democrats take control in January. The first votes of the lame-duck session produced four approvals in a single day.

The clearest sign of the changed politics came on the first vote. Kyle Reardon, nominated to a district court in Alaska, advanced by 16-6, with four Democrats crossing the aisle to join Republicans. The other three moved on straight party lines, each clearing the panel 12-10: Daniel Ballou, Richard Bennett and Courtney Coker.

After the votes, the committee held a hearing for four additional nominees, including Todd Butler, a partner at the Mississippi law firm Phelps Dunbar nominated to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals. More nominees are expected to appear on November 18, including two in Texas put forward after the November 3 midterms.

Background and Context

The rush is driven by the calendar. Democrats won control of the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections, a result that ends Republican control when the new Congress takes office in January. Until then, Republicans still hold the gavel in the Judiciary Committee and the majority on the Senate floor — but only for a few more weeks.

That window matters because federal judges serve for life, and each confirmation locks in a seat for decades. Trump has already made 56 lifetime judicial appointments in his second term, in addition to the 234 he made in his first term. The four nominees advanced on Tuesday, plus the others still in the pipeline, would extend that record further before the majority changes hands.

The stakes were set out earlier this month, when Democrats’ Senate sweep was reported as a direct threat to Trump’s judicial drive. With the majority about to flip, the committee’s lame-duck work is the last chance to move nominees who might never reach the floor under a Democratic majority. For more, see our report on the Democrats’ Senate sweep stalling Trump’s judicial nominations drive.

Trump Judicial Nominees and the Race Against the January Clock

Grassley, the committee chairman, made the strategy public in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on November 10, the same day as the votes. He wrote that Republicans must use the lame-duck session to advance and confirm as many pending judges as possible, noting that the committee has moved confirmations at the fastest pace since the Reagan administration.

The numbers show how much work remains. About 23 judicial nominees are still pending, yet only three are on the floor and eligible to begin confirmation. That gap is the bottleneck: the committee can vote nominees out quickly, but floor time is scarce, and each confirmation consumes hours that must be shared with spending bills and other must-pass business.

Reactions and Quotes

Grassley’s op-ed set the tone for the Republican side: use every remaining day of the lame-duck session to move judges. He pointed to the committee’s pace — the fastest since the Reagan administration, in his telling — as proof that the push is working, and he framed the effort as a duty to fill vacancies rather than leave them for the next majority.

Democrats pushed back: the committee’s top Democrat, Dick Durbin, accused Republicans of cutting corners to jam nominees through. The bipartisan vote for Reardon, though, showed the picture is not entirely partisan — four Democrats backed the Alaska nominee. A related fight played out in Oklahoma, where a home-state senator’s reversal blocked another Trump pick — see our report on Trump’s Oklahoma judge pick Zach West.

Why It Matters

Federal judges decide cases on immigration, voting rights, business regulation, gun laws and presidential power — and they do so for life. A district judge confirmed in December will still be ruling on those questions decades from now, long after the senators who confirmed them have left office. That is why the lame-duck session, usually a quiet wind-down, has become a high-stakes fight over the courts.

The push also sets the terms for the next Congress: every nominee confirmed now is one fewer vacancy for the incoming Democratic majority to fill. For Trump, the confirmations add to a judicial legacy that already spans two terms.

What Happens Next

The four nominees advanced on Tuesday now await floor votes, and the committee has more work scheduled. Additional nominees are expected to appear on November 18, including two Texas picks put forward after the midterms, and Butler’s 5th Circuit nomination will move toward a committee vote after its hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Trump judicial nominees advanced on Tuesday?
Kyle Reardon of Alaska advanced 16-6, with four Democrats joining Republicans. Daniel Ballou, Richard Bennett and Courtney Coker each advanced 12-10 on party-line votes.

Why are Republicans rushing judicial confirmations now?
Democrats won the Senate in the November 3 midterms and take control in January. Republicans are using the lame-duck session to confirm as many of Trump’s nominees as possible before the majority changes hands.

How many judicial nominees are still pending?
About 23 judicial nominees remain pending in the Senate, but only three are on the floor and eligible to begin the confirmation process.

How many judges has Trump appointed in his second term?
Trump has made 56 lifetime appointments in his second term, plus 234 in his first term. The four nominees advanced on Tuesday would add to that total if confirmed.