Senate Republicans lined up votes on 19 of President Trump’s judicial nominees for next week, moving to arrange one final burst of activity before leaving town for summer vacation.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the move Thursday, arranging votes to head off filibusters and then to confirm each of the picks. The number is possible because he led Republicans in triggering the nuclear option and changing chamber rules earlier this year, cutting the maximum debate time allowed on each district judge from 30 hours to just two hours.
“We need to make more headway on the backlog of qualified judicial nominees who are waiting for confirmation,” the Kentucky Republican said in announcing the new votes.
If the package of nearly two dozen district court nominees is agreed to, it will bring Mr. Trump’s total number of appointed judges to 150.
There are currently 111 district court vacancies across the country and four open seats on circuit courts.
The president and Mr. McConnell have made it a priority to reshape the federal judiciary with a conservative bent, allowing Mr. Trump to outpace his predecessor in filling federal appeals court seats.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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