President Donald Trump is turning up the heat on Senate Republicans with a bold demand to ditch their summer siesta and get his judicial nominees confirmed pronto.
In a fiery post on Truth Social this past Saturday, Trump pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to scrap the Senate's August recess and long weekend breaks to fast-track his picks for the federal bench, a cornerstone of his agenda to reshape the judiciary in his second term, Newsweek reported.
Trump’s urgency isn’t just hot air; it’s a calculated push to maximize a narrower window of opportunity, with only 49 vacancies among nearly 900 federal judgeships compared to the over 100 he inherited in his first term due to Senate gridlock under the previous administration.
During his first stint in office, Trump and Republican allies confirmed a whopping 234 federal judges, a feat that cemented his influence on the courts for decades. That success story is why he’s so eager to keep the momentum rolling now.
On Saturday, Trump didn’t mince words, posting, “We need them badly!!!” His impatience is palpable, and frankly, who can blame him when the judiciary is a battleground for lasting conservative impact against progressive overreach?
By Friday, Trump had already met with Thune and other Senate Republicans at the White House to hammer out strategy, a sign he’s not just tweeting—he’s lobbying hard. Thune, for his part, called it a “great night” on X, celebrating their shared pro-America goals, though he’s stayed mum on canceling the recess so far.
This week, the Senate confirmed Trump’s first judicial pick of his second term, Whitney Hermandorfer, to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a tight 46-42 party-line vote. It’s a small victory, but the battle lines are drawn.
Democrats aren’t rolling over, with Sen. Chuck Schumer blasting Hermandorfer on X as inexperienced and ideologically extreme, claiming her record shows bias against reproductive and anti-discrimination policies. With all due respect to Schumer, isn’t it possible he’s more upset about losing ground to a conservative judiciary than her actual resume?
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois echoed the criticism on X, labeling Hermandorfer “partisan” and a danger to legal impartiality. Yet, one might argue this outrage is less about qualifications and more about fear of a court system that won’t rubber-stamp progressive priorities.
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee formally advanced former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for a permanent U.S. attorney role in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Democrats staged a dramatic walkout to protest another nominee, Emil Bove, who is seeking an appellate judgeship. Bove, who represented Trump in a New York criminal case and briefly served as deputy attorney general, now faces scrutiny after whistleblowers accused him of advising others to ignore court orders related to immigration.
In response, Sen. Cory Booker criticized Bove in a post on X, calling him “dangerous and reckless” over the still-unproven allegations involving legal files and defiance of court directives. Admittedly, Booker’s intensity is evident, but shouldn’t we wait for verified evidence before declaring someone unfit for a lifetime appointment?
Looking ahead, the Judiciary Committee intends to vote on additional nominees soon, including the embattled Bove, whose confirmation continues to fuel Democratic resistance. In addition, Trump’s latest slate features five nominees from Missouri and a D.C. Superior Court pick—all of whom hold strong conservative credentials and maintain ties to Republican legal networks.
Thune has previously pledged to prioritize swift confirmations despite the slimmer vacancy list, but whether he’ll axe the August break remains an open question. With Trump breathing down his neck, the pressure is on for Senate Republicans to deliver.
Newsweek sought comment from the White House via email on Saturday, but as of now, no response has clarified Trump’s next move. Still, if history is any guide, Trump doesn’t back down easily when it comes to stacking the courts with judges who align with a constitutional, America-first vision over activist agendas.
