Liberal advocates are furiously trying to elevate the federal judiciary as a key voting issue in 2020 and remind voters of the effects President Trump’s nominees are having not only on the Supreme Court but at the appellate and district levels as well.
They’re trying to avoid a repeat of 2016, when Supreme Court nominee Merrick B. Garland didn’t even get a mention from top party leaders in hours of prime-time speeches during the Democratic National Convention and the judiciary issue was seen as a defining factor in holding together a conservative movement that at the time had doubts about Mr. Trump.
“Progressives are galvanized on the issue of the courts like never before,” said Daniel Goldberg with Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, while noting that it has been “incredibly disappointing” that the issue hasn’t gotten more attention in Democratic debates.
He said his group plans to spend the next 11 months educating the public about “the assault on our Constitution and laws by the people that have been rubber-stamped by the Republican Senate and how critical it is for the next Democratic president to prioritize this issue.”
The president, with the help of the GOP-controlled Senate, has filled two Supreme Court vacancies. During Mr. Trump’s three years in the White House, the Senate also has confirmed 50 circuit court judges and more than 130 district court judges.