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Checking In On Biden's Judges

The Senate came back from summer recess this week and wasted no time in getting back to judicial nominees. This week alone they confirmed two more district court nominees, advanced the vote of a circuit court nominee and held a hearing on two other appellate picks.

That rapid action is indicative of the fast pace the Biden White House and Democratic Senate have taken when it comes to nominating and installing federal judges. According to an analysis by Russell Wheeler of the Brookings Institution, this is the quickest pace of confirming judges in several administrations, including former President Donald Trump's.

There are a few explanations for the speed in installing judges. One is that the Senate inherited a number of blue state vacancies from the Trump administration, including many New Jersey, Washington and California—states that had judicial emergencies due to a lack of judges. The first judge confirmed under Biden was Julien Neals for a judgeship in New Jersey.