Hopefully this pick becomes invalidated with impeachment
In all, Trump has now installed five of the 17 active judges on the Fifth Circuit, putting the president’s stamp on a court that hears appeals from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, including potentially controversial death penalty and immigration cases.
Given the relatively small number of cases heard annually by the Supreme Court, regional appeals courts often have the last word on disputes litigated in federal courts. “Basically, they’re the Supreme Courts of their regions,” said University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias.
The transformation already has been felt. Judge Ho, Cornyn’s former chief counsel, recently sent ripples across the nation in an emergency ruling on a new Texas law requiring abortion facilities to bury or cremate fetal remains. Quashing a subpoena favoring a group of challengers, Ho cited the “moral tragedy of abortion,” and suggested that a lower court judge appeared to “retaliate against people of faith for not only believing in the sanctity of life - but also wanting to do something about it.”
In light of the past year’s policy setbacks on immigration, sanctuary cities and repealing Obamacare, Trump’s focus on appeals court vacancies has become a hallmark of his presidency.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Kentucky earlier this month that for the Republican-led Congress, “the single most, long lasting, positive impact we’ll be able to have on the country is in the judiciary.”
With Wednesday’s vote, Oldham became the 23rd appeals court judge Trump got through the Senate, one more than the 22 circuit judges President George H.W. Bush appointed in his first two years in office.
By their second years in office, Obama had 16 appeals judges confirmed, George W. Bush had 17, and Bill Clinton had 19, the same number as Ronald Reagan.
Trump’s tally is likely to grow before the end of his second year. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a Ninth Circuit nomination within the next week, and the push could continue if McConnell makes good on his vow to cancel the Senate’s traditional August recess to confirm more Trump nominees before the November midterm elections.
Gov. Abbott staffer Andrew Oldham confirmed to 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
we're fukked if these don't get invalidated somehow
