Trump Appoints 200th Judge

On June 24th the Senate confirmed Cory Wilson’s appointment to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Trump’s 200th judicial appointment. He has confirmed two Supreme Court justices, 53 appeals court judges, 143 district court judges and two judges to the U.S. Court of International Trade. All serve for life and can only be removed by impeachment. The White House has worked closely with The Federalist Society to funnel its members into appeals court seats because the Supreme Court generally refuses to hear appeals. That means that appeals courts have the final say in more than 99 percent of the cases they decide. Wilson is representative of Trump’s appeals court appointees. He is, 49, white, has described the Affordable Care Act as “illegitimate,” and says he supports ”the complete and immediate reversal” of Roe v. Wade. He dismissed the NAACP’s concerns about a proposed Mississippi voter ID law as “poppycock” in an op-ed, and tore into the Justice Department in 2013 for sending election observers to the state. He called former President Obama “King Barack,” “petty and small” and “a fit-throwing teenager.” The 5th Circuit oversees Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, which makes it the district with the highest percentage of people of color in the country. Every Senate Republican except Susan Collins voted to confirm him. Every Democrat voted no.