Biden judicial nominations endgame comes into focus

The judicial branch will be top of mind in the legislative branch on Thursday. Senate Democrats are nearing the judicial confirmations total that President-elect Donald Trump achieved in his first term. Meanwhile, the Biden White House is poised to block an expansion of the federal judiciary once it passes the House.

First up: The House will consider the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act — or JUDGES Act — on Thursday morning. The measure would incrementally create 66 new federal judicial positions over the next decade. But the White House has vowed to veto the measure, accusing the House of waiting until the results of the November election to take it up. House Democrats are urging their members to vote against the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year.

Speaking of the Senate, Democrats notched their 233rd judicial confirmation of the Biden era with the approval of Noel Wise to a federal judicial seat in California late Wednesday. Trump got 234 confirmations over his first four years in office.

The Senate Judiciary Committee meets at 10 a.m. to consider two more nominees for judicial slots in California. If cleared by the committee and considered on the floor, the confirmations of Benjamin Cheeks and Serena Murillo would put Biden ahead of Trump in judicial confirmations — a symbolic if short-lived victory, given the president-elect has a second term ahead starting in January.

Two more end-of-year business matters: The Senate unanimously cleared legislation, championed by Paris Hilton, to boost oversight and accountability for troubled youth programs around the country. It now heads to the House for consideration. Hilton thanked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for helping lead the bill through the chamber in a social media post.

Additionally, the Senate cleared a House-passed bill that would require educational institutions receiving federal student aid to report hazing incidents. It now heads to Biden’s desk for his signature.