Schumer Says Dems Will Use Federal Courts To Thwart Trump
New York’s Democratic Senator Charles Schumer, who leads his party in the Senate, has devised a strategy to counter the initiatives of President-elect Donald Trump.
Despite his party facing diminished influence after January 20, 2025—losing control of both Congress chambers and the White House—Schumer intends to leverage the judiciary that he and President Joe Biden have populated to challenge the incoming administration.
“I don’t know exactly what [Trump will] do. But I can tell you this: The judiciary will be one of our strongest — if not our strongest — barrier against what he does,” Schumer stated in an exclusive discussion with Politico’s Playbook.
“We recognized from the beginning that surpassing Trump’s actions would be extremely challenging,” he added. “However, we succeeded by appointing 235 judges—over a quarter of the federal judiciary—through our Senate and the presidency.”
“We understood that increasing the number of judges on the bench would safeguard our legislative achievements,” the Senate Majority Leader explained. “Both efforts were interconnected. If you asked me to choose which was more crucial, I wouldn’t want to choose between my children.”
Schumer also acknowledged that the Republicans had inspired their approach by employing a similar tactic.
The Republican Party “developed a strategy during the George W. Bush administration: ‘We’ve got to control the bench,’ and they diligently pursued it,” he remarked. “When I assumed the role of majority leader, I declared, ‘This is something we need to prioritize and focus on.’”
“We engaged with members in two primary ways: Convincing some to support these judicial nominees by countering the Republicans’ often unfounded allegations against them,” the senator explained. “Additionally, I had to emphasize the significance of this effort. One of the most critical actions we could take with our floor time, especially in ’23 and ’24 with a Republican-controlled House, was to prioritize judicial appointments.”
The conversation continued to explore various topics, with Schumer sharing his perspectives on multiple issues.
When asked about the “accomplishments” of President Biden that he believes Republicans and the president-elect might target first, Schumer responded:
“They’re going to challenge everything. Their MAGA coalition includes those opposed to women’s rights, environmental protections, workers’ and union rights, and consumer interests. They intend to utilize the judiciary in every possible manner,” he stated, highlighting several key terms favored by his party.
Leading up to January 20, the Senate Majority Leader also discussed balancing his priorities.
“When I began, my goal was twofold: to establish a significant legislative record and simultaneously confirm as many judges as possible. We were aware that Trump had appointed numerous MAGA judges, making it essential to achieve judicial balance. The more judges we could confirm, the better… In an era marked by legislative gridlock and attempts to use the judiciary for legislative purposes, having judges who are neither MAGA-aligned nor extremist is more crucial than ever,” he explained.
Schumer emphasized the necessity of securing the judiciary, recognizing that legislative efforts were being hindered and fearing that Republicans might exploit the judiciary to impede Democratic initiatives.
“In ’23 and ’24, this became increasingly vital as we realized that legislative progress would be limited. Additionally, we observed the hard right preparing to utilize the bench repeatedly to fulfill their objectives,” he concluded.