Trump has nominated over 125 judges, solidifying his judicial legacy

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Judicial Crisis Network targets Democrats for keeping court picks secret

A new ad from the Judicial Crisis Network asks Democrats what they have to hide with their secret list of judicial nominees.

President Trump has nominated over 125 judges to the federal courts, solidifying his judicial legacy.

When the Senate approved Daniel Bress to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last week, the number ticked up to 127, which puts him at a similar pace as previous presidents, except for one thing.

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Trump is far ahead of recent presidents for appeals court confirmations, which an analyst calls the "big leagues" of the judiciary system.

"There’s no question that President Trump has been incredibly effective at putting people on the appellate courts — in fact, he’s gotten more than twice as many appeals court judges than most of the other presidents,” Mark Carl Rom, a Georgetown University government and public policy professor, told Roll Call.

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While Trump has already nominated two Supreme Court justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, in highly contested political battles, the courts under the highest court are vital and his progress has largely gone under the radar while his picks have been praised for their bent on religious liberty.

“The Supreme Court really only hears about one percent of the appeals that are filed in a year, and that means those circuit court of appeals' decisions end up typically being the final word on a case,” Lathan Watts, director of legal communications for First Liberty Institute, told Christian Headlines. “So his nominees and then their confirmation to the circuit court of appeals don't always get the same sort of attention that maybe a Supreme Court pick does. But they are extremely important because, in most cases, their opinion ends up being the final opinion.”

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Trump has flipped the Third Circuit Court of Appeals from a Democratic-nominated majority to a Republican-nominated one, and other nominees have strengthened Republican-nominated majorities in the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Courts of Appeal.

The Ninth Circuit, with Bress' nomination, has narrowed its Democratic-nominated majority to 16 compared to 12 Republican-nominated ones.

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With the 2020 presidential campaign ramping up, more eyes are turning to the courts. The New York Times reported recently that Democrats have formed a secret list of Supreme Court nominees in stark contrast to Trump's 2016 campaign, when he released his list in an unprecedented move.

Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network told Fox News Democrats want judicial nominees who will "be second guessing everything our elected representatives do in pushing the nation as far to the extreme left as they can. I don't think that's what the average American wants. We want judges who are going to be faithful to the law first, to the Constitution and what it actually says."

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Severino added Trump's nominees will "absolutely" positively impact his chances for re-election.