Liberal activists are beginning to identify progressive judges to fill the courts should a Democrat win the presidency in 2020.
An initiative called Building the Bench is preparing a list of replacements to fill potential judicial vacancies in seats currently held by judges appointed by Democratic presidents, the New York Times reports. The initiative is supported by the liberal advocacy group Alliance for Justice and other progressive organizations.
"It is essential to be ready on Day 1 of a new administration with names to fill every vacancy," said Nan Aron, the president of the Alliance for Justice. "This is to start identifying people so the new president won’t waste a minute in addressing this need."
The liberal activists do not intend to publicize their recommendations.
Russell Wheeler, a judicial expert at the Brookings Institution, has estimated the number of judges who would be eligible for senior status by election day:
Under a formula that is based on age and years on the bench, Mr. Wheeler estimates that 35 Democrat-appointed appeals court judges are now eligible for senior status, a number that could grow to 39 by Election Day 2020. Among district court judges, 53 appointed by Democrats are now eligible, with the potential to grow to 58. And some Republican-appointed judges out of the 100 now eligible for senior status might prefer not to be replaced by Mr. Trump, as well, expanding the possible field of post-2020 vacancies.
Judicial Crisis Network president Carrie Severino raised questions about the list of judges.
"Shocking @nytimes story reveals left wing dark money groups working with Democrat pres candidates on a secret list of nominees for SCOTUS. Why are they hiding this list? Why are they scared to show the American people the kind of judges they want? #SecretList #StopHiding," Severino tweeted on Monday.
"@realdonaldtrump had no problem revealing his list of potential judicial noms. He made it public, campaigned on it, & let the American people see the kind of judges he would appoint. Why are left wing dark money groups and Dems not willing to do same? What are they hiding?" Severino asked.
(2/3) @realdonaldtrump had no problem revealing his list of potential judicial noms. He made it public, campaigned on it, & let the American people see the kind of judges he would appoint. Why are left wing dark money groups and Dems not willing to do same? What are they hiding?
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) June 10, 2019
"These left wing dark money groups and their Dem allies are trying to expand the number of justices on #SCOTUS. They want to pack the Court, and aren't even willing to tell the American people who they are going to pack the courts with. What are they hiding? #SecretList," Severino continued.
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These left wing dark money groups and their Dem allies are trying to expand the number of justices on #SCOTUS. They want to pack the Court, and aren't even willing to tell the American people who they are going to pack the courts with. What are they hiding? #SecretList— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) June 10, 2019