Its tough to square Democrats lack of diversity complaints when theyve blocked confirmation: These are some real standouts."
WASHINGTON D.C. (Texas Insider Report) In his first 2½ years in office President Donald Trump has seen Senate Democrats allow the confirmation of just a small handful of his minority nominees 9 Asian-American Judges 5 Hispanic Judges and 3 Black Judges. During the same period of his term President Barack Obama had confirmed 7 Asian American judges 10 Hispanic judges and 19 Black judges.
Its tough to square the Democratic Senators record of complaint about a lack of racial diversity or female nominees by the Trump Administration when they have so often fought to block their confirmation conservative court watchers say.
Although Democratic senators often call for more minorities to be nominated by President Trump they dont always vote to confirm them said Curt Levey president of the Committee for Justice.
Its rhetoric frankly" Mr. Levey added.
Mike Davis president of The Article III Project which backs the presidents nominees said Democrats have a history of resisting minority nominees that are nominated by a Republican White House.
Democrats know they cannot afford to let the Republicans take any votes out of their coalition" Davis said adding that Democrats opposition to Mr. Trumps minority nominees is political.
As a result of Democrats blocking Mr. Trumps minority nominees he often stands open to media criticism that he lags behind his predecessors in diversifying the bench.
Democrats have for decades used similar tactics on past Republican presidents.
Perhaps the most prominent example was African-American and now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who was nominated by President George H.W. Bush.
Now-Democrat presidential candidate but then-Senator and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden unsuccessfully colluded with outside and Democrat-linked groups in an attempt to kill Thomass nomination.
But another major battle erupted after his son President George W. Bush nominated a well-regarded Hispanic Miguel Estrada for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Originally from Honduras Mr. Estrada immigrated to the U.S. and graduated from Harvard Law School.
Democrats feared Mr. Estrada with judicial experience under his belt would eventually become the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.
As a result staff for Sen. Richard J. Durbin a member of the Judiciary Committee from illisois called Mr. Estrada especially dangerous" because he is Latino."
Fueled by those fears Democrats launched the first-ever partisan filibuster to defeat a judicial nominee. The practice ended only after use of the nuclear option" rules change in 2013.
Judge Amul Thapar broke new ground when he became the first federal judge of South Asian descent in 2007 and over the next decade he built a record as a well-respected jurist.
When President Trump nominated Judge Thapar to a seat on a Federal Appeals Court the American Bar Association unanimously graded him as Well Qualified."
Yet when the son of Indian immigrants came up for a vote on the Senate floor not a single Democrat voted for him.
The process played out the same way for both Neomi Rao a daughter of Indian immigrants whom the ABA rated well qualified" but who was confirmed only on a party-line vote and for Michael Park a Korean American and Kenneth Lee a Korean immigrant.
Neither of them earned a single Democratic vote.
These are some real standouts" said Carrie Severino chief counsel at the Judicial Crisis Network an organization whose website mentions
Our commitment is to the Constitution and the Founders vision of a nation of limited government; dedicated to the rule of law; with a fair and impartial judiciary.
Every American deserves equal justice under law.
Democrats are looking at the wrong thing We are trying to come up with quotas and ratios lets look at having great judges men and women across the spectrum" said Severino
Many of them regardless of the sex age or background have written all kinds of articles or made their positions very clear on choice LGBTQ rights" said Sen. Mazie K. Hirono a Hawaii Democrat who while demanding diversity on the bench has found little to like in the picks Mr. Trump has offered.
And another current Democrat presidential contender New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory A. Booker is also a current member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who claims to be a backer of judicial diversity yet he has supported even fewer of Mr. Trumps female and minority nominees than Sen. Hirono.
The same goes for Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer New York Democrat and a former member of the committee.
As a result of the Democrats stalling tactics Republicans have pushed back to use Senate Rules an a manner similar to those used in the past by Democrats leaders often referred to as the Nuclear Option which limits Senate Democrats ability to obstruct.
Their newfound speed has been a major win for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) and conservatives who have used the faster process to install many of President Trumps Federal Judge nominees.
We have obviously increased speed. We are getting more through" said Sen. James Lankford an Oklahoma Republican who helped orchestrate the change in the nuclear option rules.
Senate Republican leaders say they felt compelled to act after Democrats attempted to filibuster more than 120 nominees in Mr. Trumps first two years in office.
Senate Democrats as well as other Democrat party leaders say they have had their reasons for opposing President Trumps nominees in each case.
