WASHINGTON (AP) — Demand Justice, a progressive organization focused on the judiciary, is set to bombard Capitol Hill with a message for the closing weeks of the 118th Congress: Do “whatever it takes” to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees as a second Donald Trump presidency looms.
The Republican president-elect's victory and the GOP takeover of the Senate leaves just seven weeks of Democratic control of the chamber.
Democrats have confirmed 213 of Biden’s judicial nominees during his presidency. Another few dozen are still pending. To add to those confirmations, Senate Democrats would need to stay in Washington far longer than they had planned and also navigate a razor-thin margin that hamstrung them at times on other Biden priorities.
Trump focused heavily on filling court vacancies in his first term, getting 234 judges confirmed, including three to the Supreme Court. Democrats are seeking to deny him more opportunities to name conservative judges as the party determines its path forward after a sweeping defeat that will leave it out of power come January.
“Senate Democrats cannot give up and go home just because they lost the chamber,” said Skye Perryman, a senior adviser to Demand Justice, whose push will include widespread lobbying, Capitol Hill events and targeted ads. “It is even more critical now that good, qualified, fair-minded judges are confirmed so they can serve as a backstop and uphold the rights of ordinary people and protect our Constitution.”
According to the United States Courts website, 17 pending judicial nominees have advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, eight are waiting for votes from the committee and six are waiting for committee hearings. The White House announced new judicial nominees in October and November.
The Senate returned this week from their break around the election. The Senate calendar has the legislative body being out of town around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. But the calendar is subject to change, and it is common for senators to leave Washington for extended weekend breaks.
The push will confront an already full schedule in the Senate, too. In addition to confirmations, the legislative body will be tasked with providing more disaster aid after a string of deadly storms, passing the annual defense policy bill, and keeping the government funded and open.
Some Democratic-caucusing senators like West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema, both independents, are leaving the chamber at the end of this session. And if Republicans are unified to oppose Biden's picks, Manchin has said he will not support judicial appointments that are not bipartisan, shrinking the Democratic margin.
One nominee, April Perry, was confirmed on Monday evening for the northern district of Illinois.
Asked about the effort to pressure Senate Democrats to do all they can to confirm these nominees, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “We are going to get as many done as we can.”
Trump on Sunday urged Republicans to oppose Schumer’s efforts. “No Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership,” he wrote.
“Delaying the confirmation of strongly qualified, experienced judges takes a real-life toll on constituents and leads to backlogs of criminal cases — meaning there is every urgent reason for Republicans and Democrats to continue working together in good faith to staff the federal bench,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in response to Trump. “There is no excuse for choosing partisanship over enforcing the rule of law.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he hoped Republicans would not seek to delay confirmation votes for judges, noting that Democrats agreed to a package of 12 judicial confirmations at the end of the first Trump presidency.
“I hope they follow the precedent,” Durbin said.
He added that he hopes to get about two dozen judicial nominees confirmed during the lame-duck session.
“That’s just about all we can do,” he added.
Perryman from Demand Justice echoed that sentiment. “There is no excuse not to put these qualified individuals on the floor for a vote. Americans all across the country are working overtime to make ends meet, and the Senate should work overtime too: Americans deserve better from their elected officials than excuses or delays," Perryman added.
According to operatives working with Demand Justice, the group’s plan includes a widespread lobbying effort aimed at key senators, press events urging action and a new website that gives constituents a chance to see where the effort stands.
“With only weeks left before the new Congress, it’s more urgent than ever that Democratic senators do whatever it takes — staying late, working weekends — during the lame duck session,” said Maggie Jo Buchanan, a top operative at the progressive organization.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, in a series of post-election posts reflecting on Trump’s win, urged Schumer to “use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators — none of whom can be removed by the next President.”
And groups like The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights have echoed this focus.
“As the Senate returns to Washington and with limited time remaining, it is critically important that our senators immediately vote on all of President Biden’s judicial nominees,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program and an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich is recovering from what the San Antonio Spurs described as a mild stroke, though there is no timetable for the NBA's longest-tenured coach to return to the sideline.
Popovich had the stroke on Nov. 2 at the arena where the Spurs play, the team said Wednesday, and has already started a rehabilitation program with belief that he will make a full recovery. The team released no other details, including what aftereffects of the stroke — if any — that he is dealing with.
“It's a difficult time for everyone,” Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. “Coach Pop has been the leader of this organization for the last three decades. We all have come across or know people that just have a different aura, a difference presence about them. Clearly, he's one of those people. When we walk into the building each and every day, we feel that leadership, we feel that presence and so not having him there's clearly a void. And we miss him.”
The 75-year-old Popovich is the NBA's all-time win leader who has led the Spurs to five championships, plus guided USA Basketball to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is in his 29th season as coach of the Spurs.
“He's doing well. He's doing well. ... He's tough, he's a fighter and he's going to work,” Wright said. “We're all here for him, but he's doing OK.”
Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has been the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs beat Washington 139-130 on Wednesday night, the the seventh straight game in which Johnson has filled in for Popovich.
“Mitch has been great,” Spurs rookie Stephon Castle said Wednesday, before the team announced the details about Popovich’s health. “Even when Pop was here, he’s always had a voice in our huddles and in our locker room. Our philosophies haven’t been changed.”
Victor Wembanyama, who scored a career-high 50 points in the win over the Wizards, said the team first learned about Popovich’s stroke before the team’s announcement.
“Of course I’m a bit worried about Pop,” Wembanyama said. “At the same time, I haven’t talked to him, but I know what mindset he’s on right on. I know he’s working like crazy, probably to come back with us as soon as possible. I trust him. I trust the people taking care of him right now. I hope he’s not going to be away from us for too long.”
A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or if a blood vessel in the brain bursts. That deprives the brain of oxygen which can cause brain damage that can lead to difficulty thinking, talking and walking, or even death. Strokes may lead to difficulty speaking, paralysis or loss of movement in certain muscles, memory loss and more.
It is unknown if Popovich is dealing with any aftereffects of the stroke.
Stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half a million Americans have a stroke every year.
The Spurs were playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Nov. 2, and Popovich's medical episode occurred there in the hours before that game. Johnson took over for that night's contest, which the Spurs won, after the team said Popovich was not feeling well.
Johnson and Popovich spoke on Nov. 3, and on Nov. 4 Johnson said Popovich is “in good spirits ... he'll be OK. He is OK.” The Spurs had not released much in the way of details since, prior to Wednesday's announcement about the stroke.
Wright raved about the way Johnson and the Spurs have bonded and dealt with the absence of the team's leader.
“It's exactly what Coach Pop would want us to do,” Wright said. “And so, it's on all of us to play our part, to play our role, to continue to lean on each other, support one another and be there for one another.”
Popovich is one of only three coaches to win the NBA coach of the year award three times, Don Nelson and Pat Riley being the others. He’s one of five coaches with at least five NBA titles; Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla (5) and Riley (5) are the others.
Popovich has been part of the Spurs for nearly 35 years. He was an assistant coach from 1988 through 1992, then returned to the club on May 31, 1994, as its executive vice president for basketball operations and general manager. He made the decision to fire coach Bob Hill and appoint himself coach on Dec. 10, 1996.
He's been the Spurs' sideline boss ever since.
“We look forward to the day that we can welcome him back,” Wright said.
Popovich's 29-year run with the Spurs is a span the likes of which has been nearly unmatched in U.S. major pro sports history.
Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years, George Halas coached the Chicago Bears for 40 years and John McGraw managed the New York Giants for 31 years. Those three tenures — all wrapping up well over a half-century ago — are the only ones exceeding Popovich’s run with the Spurs; his 29-year era in San Antonio to this point matches the tenures that Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry and the Green Bay Packers’ Curly Lambeau had in those jobs.
Reynolds reported from Miami.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gives instructions to his players during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul has a word with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reacts after a call by the official, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gives instructions to his players during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul has a word with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reacts after a call by the official, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
