Senate confirms Trump's first judicial nominee of his second term
The confirmation of Hermandorfer, who worked for Tennessee's attorney general, comes after the Democratic-led Senate under former President Joe Biden confirmed 235 federal judges and the Republican-led Senate in Trump's first term confirmed 234 federal judges.
The two presidents each worked to reshape the judiciary, with Trump taking advantage of a high number of judicial vacancies at the end of President Barack Obama's term and Democrats working to beat Trump's number after he had the opportunity to nominate three Supreme Court justices.
So far in his second term, Trump has fewer vacancies to fill. While he inherited more than 100 vacancies from Obama, who was stymied by a Republican Senate in his final two years, Trump now has 49 vacancies to fill out of almost 900 federal judgeships.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last week that the Senate would work to quickly confirm Trump's judicial nominees, even though 'we're not facing the number of judicial vacancies this Congress we did during Trump's first term.'
Hermandorfer, who was confirmed 46-42 along party lines, has defended many of Trump's policies as director of strategic litigation for Tennessee's attorney general, including his bid to end birthright citizenship. Democrats and liberal judicial advocacy groups criticized her as extreme on that issue and others, also citing her office's defense of the state's strict abortion ban.
Before working for the Tennessee Attorney General, she clerked for three Supreme Court justices. But at her confirmation hearing last month, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware criticized what he called a 'striking brevity' of court experience since Hermandorfer graduated from law school a decade ago.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday that Trump is only focused on 'a nominee's perceived loyalty to him and his agenda — and a willingness to rule in favor of him and his administration.'
The Judiciary panel is scheduled to vote on additional judges this week, including top Justice Department official Emil Bove, a former lawyer for Trump who is nominated for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Bove's nomination has come under scrutiny after a fired department lawyer claimed in a complaint that Bove used an expletive when he said during a meeting that the Trump administration might need to ignore judicial commands. Bove has pushed back against suggestions from Democrats that the whistleblower's claims make him unfit for the federal bench.
Bove has also accused FBI officials of 'insubordination' for refusing to hand over the names of agents who investigated the U.S. Capitol riot and ordered the firings of a group of prosecutors involved in the Jan. 6 criminal cases.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
Trumps 50-Day Ultimatum to Putin: Massive Tariffs or Else
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Russia, threatening a new wave of punitive tariffs unless a peace agreement with Ukraine is reached within the next 50 days. Speaking at the White House during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump expressed deep dissatisfaction with Moscow's actions and signaled that the U.S. is prepared to escalate pressure significantly. ?We are very, very unhappy with them,? Trump said. ?We?re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don?t have a deal in 50 days. Tariffs at about 100%.? These so-called 'secondary tariffs? would target not just Russia but also countries continuing to trade with it. Trump specifically stated that such tariffs could rise to 100%, adding, ?That's the way it is. I hope we don?t have to do it.? The president voiced his disappointment in Vladimir Putin, noting that he had expected a peace agreement to be reached two months earlier. While not ruling out diplomacy, Trump indicated that the time for patience is running out. ?We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin,? he remarked recently, reflecting frustration over what he sees as a lack of meaningful progress. Alongside the threat of new tariffs, Trump confirmed an agreement with NATO to supply a significant volume of weapons to Ukraine. He said the U.S., known for its advanced military production, would manufacture equipment for NATO, which would then be forwarded to Kyiv. ?We make the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of everything,? Trump stated. ?We are going to be sending them weapons, and they?re [NATO] going to be paying for them.? Rutte, standing beside Trump, reinforced the message. He emphasized that the agreement would result in Ukraine receiving large-scale deliveries of both air defense systems and ammunition. He named Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada as countries already involved in the coordination process. NATO, he said, would tailor the support based on Ukraine's most urgent needs. Following the White House announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump to discuss both the NATO meeting and U.S. support for Ukraine. Zelensky described the call as ?very good? and thanked Trump for his willingness to help stop the violence and secure a ?lasting and just peace.? Zelensky confirmed that the two leaders also agreed to coordinate more closely and hold regular calls. They discussed immediate needs to enhance Ukraine's defense and to protect civilians from Russian attacks. While Trump moves forward with unilateral threats, congressional action on new sanctions targeting Russia's trading partners has been paused. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the Senate will wait and observe whether the president's tariff ultimatum has the intended impact. ?It sounds like right now the president is going to attempt to do some of this on his own,? Thune said. He added that if Trump decides additional leverage is necessary, the Senate will be ready to pass the legislation. The delayed sanctions bill, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, includes provisions for secondary tariffs of at least 500% on imports from countries such as China, Brazil, and India that continue to engage economically with Russia. It also gives the president authority to raise existing tariffs on remaining Russian goods, though the economic effect may be minimal, given how much U.S.-Russia trade has already declined. Trump's threat of 100% secondary tariffs marks a continuation of his aggressive trade approach. He has a history of using tariffs as leverage, including those on Chinese imports and previous threats against India, Brazil, and even countries trading with Venezuela. Bilateral trade between the U.S. and Russia has plunged, from around billion in 2021 to just .5 billion last year. The Biden administration's post-invasion sanctions, including a ban on Russian oil and higher tariffs under a suspended ?normal trade relations? status, have already decimated Russian exports to the U.S. In 2024, the U.S. imported just .5 billion in goods from Russia, down from .3 billion in 2021. The biggest contributor to this drop has been the oil import ban, as energy products previously accounted for more than half of U.S. purchases from Russia. Senators Graham and Blumenthal praised Trump's initiative, highlighting both the tariff strategy and the weapons supply plan. Still, they were clear about their aim: to force Putin to negotiate peace. ?The goal is not more tariffs and sanctions,? they said. ?The goal is to entice Putin to come to the peace table.?
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Trump administration orders 2,000 National Guard troops to leave L.A., some will remain
Published Jul 15, 2025 • 1 minute read National Guardsmen stand outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of protests against immigration raids on June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Tensions in the city remain high after the Trump administration called in the National Guard against the wishes of city leaders. Photo by Jim Vondruska / Getty Images President Donald Trump's administration is ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles to support immigration enforcement activities, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The president ordered the deployment of about 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines in early June to respond to protests against immigration raids in and around L.A. The troops were tasked with protecting federal buildings and guarding immigration agents, and the legality of their deployment was challenged in federal court by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. It was not immediately clear how long the remaining troops would stay in the city as immigration raids continue across the country, part of Trump's push for aggressive action against immigrants in the country illegally. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA NFL Editorial Cartoons Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Republicans declared it ‘crypto' week in the House. It's not going as planned
WASHINGTON (AP) — A trio of cryptocurrency bills that had been expected to pass the House this week stalled on Tuesday after a bloc of Republicans unexpectedly joined with Democrats to prevent the legislation from coming up for debate and votes. The procedural snafu brought the House's so-called 'crypto week' to a standstill — and dealt a blow to President Donald Trump, who had strongly urged Republicans to pass the bills as part of his push to make the U.S. the ' crypto capital of the world.' A group of 13 Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition to a procedural vote needed to bring the crypto bills to the floor. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters it was just part of 'legislative process' and that negotiations were underway between the House, Senate and White House. He suggested they could try again Tuesday evening. 'We expected there might be some 'no' votes, but we thought it was important to put it on the floor to advance it because time's of the essence on this,' Johnson said. 'So stay tuned. We'll have lots of discussions over the next few hours.' But just hours later, House leadership canceled votes for the remainder of the day, potentially throwing the crypto bills into limbo. The stalled legislation includes a Senate-passed bill to regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, along with far more sweeping measures aiming to address cryptocurrency market structure. Another bill would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. The disagreement blocking the bills from advancing centers on how the three bills would be passed. Johnson explained that 'some of these guys insist that it needs to be all in one package.' Packaging the bills would require them to be sent back to the Senate, since the chamber has only taken up one of the three bills so far. Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, a Republican co-sponsor of one of the cryptocurrency bills, told reporters that some of the Republicans wanted to package the bills together due to them 'not having a lot of faith in the Senate moving our legislation.' Trump and Republican leaders have called on the House to pass the bills individually, so that the stablecoin legislation can get to Trump's desk for his signature before an August recess. The stablecoin legislation took the Senate nearly a month and half to pass, and the more sweeping market structure legislation is expected to take even longer. In a post Tuesday morning on social media, Trump called on Republicans to advance the crypto bills that afternoon, saying that 'all Republicans should vote 'yes.'' Asked Tuesday evening about the stalled legislation, Trump told reporters that Republicans who voted against it wanted it to be 'stronger.' Trump has pushed hard for the passage of the stablecoin legislation, with him and his family standing to profit from a boost to stablecoins. They hold a significant stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that recently launched its own stablecoin, USD1. The stablecoin legislation passed by the Senate includes a provision that bars members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. But notably, that prohibition does not apply to the president or his family, even as Trump builds what some are calling a crypto empire from the White House. The cryptocurrency industry hopes the bills as a whole will aid in their push for legitimacy and increasing consumer trust. And road bumps like those seen Tuesday may not have been expected after spending heavily in the 2024 election to elect a large number of crypto-friendly lawmakers. Faryar Shirzad, chief policy officer of Coinbase, the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said in a statement after the failed procedural vote that 'every few steps forward there's inevitably a step back.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'It's in these moments we'll see who is trying to get pro-crypto legislation done and who is not,' Shirzad said on social media. Passage of the bills could have implications on the 2026 midterm races. Fairshake, a crypto super political action committee, said that it and its affiliated organizations already have more than $140 million in the bank ready to spend on midterm races. 'The voters last year were clear — Congress needs to stop playing politics with crypto and finally pass responsible regulation,' said Josh Vlasto, spokesperson for Fairshake. 'We are building an aggressive, targeted strategy for next year to ensure that pro-crypto voices are heard in key races across the country.' ___ Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
