Stymied legislatively, President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell are turning their attention to one way they can skirt Democratic roadblocks and mollify unhappy Republicans — by filling scores of federal court vacancies.
In Monday’s surprise display of togetherness, both the president and Mr. McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, emphasized their shared desire to begin moving aggressively to install conservative jurists at the appeals and district court level.
Focusing on judges has multiple advantages for both the president and Mr. McConnell. The courts are a longtime priority of conservative activists who have been grumbling about the failures of the Republican Congress, so a flurry of confirmations of nominees with known conservative views on cultural and government issues could quiet some complaints.