Ed Pagano Quoted in Law360 Story on Trump’s 2017 Judicial Nominations

Law360 has quoted Akin Gump public law and policy partner Ed Pagano in the article “Trump's First Year Saw Slew Of Judicial Confirmations.” The article notes that, with 12 appellate judges confirmed as well as one Supreme Court justice, President Trump has already made a big impact on the federal courts in just one year in office.

While many on the right have spoken favorably of the picks for the bench, the article reports that there continues to be a push for changes that would make the process move even more quickly. Democrats, meanwhile, have been trying to put up roadblocks as they continue to describe some the nominees as overly partisan and unqualified.

Pagano, a former Obama Senate liaison who also worked with the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the nominations work shows that, even with the high-profile withdrawals of three judicial nominations, the White House has been able to cut through the “chaos” plaguing other parts of the administration.

“A record 12 circuit court confirmations is unprecedented, and it shows that the president on down have really focused on moving the courts more to the right, more conservative — something he ran on as president, something he has had support for,” Pagano said.

Pagano pointed to a series of Senate rule changes, including the so-called “nuclear option” in late 2013 that lowered the threshold to advance a nominee from 60 to 51 votes, which have made it harder for Democrats to slow or stop confirmations. Republicans also lowered that threshold to 51 votes to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch earlier this year.

“It is really hard for the minority to have much say in the judicial confirmation process,” Pagano added.