As president, Donald Trump has made decision upon decision that harms the country. It can feel tempting to tune out the finer details, but recent data from a Congressional Research Service report is worth slowing down and digging into. Why? The impact of what the report discusses is likely to last long after Trump leaves office; in fact, it’s designed to last for life.
Trump has confirmed a number of lifetime judges to federal courts across the country. Of course, this is what a president does. What’s particularly disturbing about Trump’s choices, and what makes him stand apart from even other Republican presidents, is that his picks are overwhelmingly white, male, and conservative. As Jennifer Bendery points out at the Huffington Post, Trump’s picks are also younger than the people they’re replacing, meaning they’ll likely keep their seats longer.
Within his first two years as president, 90 percent of Trump’s picks (which were confirmed for appeals courts) were white. None were African American or Latinx, and only 10 percent were Asian American.
Things don’t look any better in district courts. The same data shows that over 90 percent of Trump’s confirmed district judge picks were white. Very technically, at 2 percent each, he did include African American and Latinx judges, and included Asian Americans again, this time at 4 percent.
The gender breakdown is, unsurprisingly, depressing. The data from the CRS report suggests that 80 percent of Trump’s confirmed circuit court nominees were men; 74 percent of his approved district court nominees were also men.
For perspective, many of the president’s choices are simply replacing conservative judges. So while it’s not necessarily a “loss” of a seat for progressives, it’s doing nothing to change the tide. But again, as these picks tend to lean young and particularly conservative, including on issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion, their damaging impact may last for decades.
How does Trump differ from some recent presidents? Barack Obama appointed 26 African American women, which was record-breaking. But if you want to compare Trump to another conservative, even George W. Bush appointed black women—eight in total.
If Trump does get a second term, his trend of picking young white conservative men will likely only continue. The judiciary should absolutely reflect the diversity and demographics of the country. Trump’s picks are yet another reminder that our president isn’t just a figurehead. Who we vote for really does matter, including in ways that don’t get always get spotlight coverage.