ABSTRACT

Over a single term in office, President Donald Trump appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, 54 United States Circuit Court of Appeals judges, and 174 federal District Court judges. Those numbers, particularly the 54 courts of appeals judges, rival those of President Barack Obama’s totals (55) over 8 years in office. However, over that same term, Trump was embroiled in numerous controversies and often frustrated his own administration officials’ efforts to enact and implement policy. Trump’s policy failures stand in stark contrast to his success in reshaping the federal judiciary. This article examines that contradiction and argues that at least part of the reason for his success in nominating federal judges lies in the unique judicial selection strategy he embraced; a strategy for which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Federalist Society members within and outside of the administration were essential players. This article presents one of the first analyses of Trump’s appointment process over his full term in office, including his unique use of appointment short lists, the confirmation strategy his administration pursued in tandem with Republican Senate leadership, and the lasting impact Trump’s appointees are likely to have on U.S. law and policy.

摘要

在一个任期内，唐纳德·特朗普总统任命了三名美国最高法院法官、54 名美国巡回上诉法院法官和 174 名联邦地区法院法官。这些数字，尤其是上诉法院的 54 名法官，与巴拉克·奥巴马总统在 8 年任期内的总数（55 名）不相上下。然而，在同一任期内，特朗普卷入了无数争议，并经常让他自己的政府官员制定和实施政策的努力受挫。特朗普的政策失败与他在重塑联邦司法机构方面的成功形成鲜明对比。本文探讨了这一矛盾，并认为他成功提名联邦法官的至少部分原因在于他所采用的独特的司法遴选策略；参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔 (Mitch McConnell) 和政府内外的联邦党人协会成员是这一战略的重要参与者。本文对特朗普在其整个任期内的任命过程进行了初步分析，包括他对任命短名单的独特使用、他的政府与共和党参议院领导层共同追求的确认策略，以及特朗普被任命者可能产生的持久影响有关于美国的法律和政策。