Nomination Notes: “We have to call out everything”: One year into Trump 2.0, fair courts advocates chart the path forward
This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on January 20, 2026.
Advocates continue to call out Trump’s expectation of loyalty from those he appoints to the federal judiciary, in addition to the extreme records of his judicial picks.
“Trump’s latest nominees have egregious records filled with attacks on democracy and civil rights, but it’s also clear they’re expected to pass a loyalty test,” said Christine Chen Zinner, federal research and advocacy director at Alliance for Justice. “When every single nominee has the same scripted answer refusing to confirm that President Biden won the 2020 election, it raises huge alarms.”
These attacks on democracy and civil rights, as Chen Zinner described them, include significant work to undermine reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ equality. And they’re coming from all directions.
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With Republicans still in control of the Senate with a 53-47 majority, defeating any of Trump’s judicial nominees — especially after Senate Republicans confirmed a nominee like Emil Bove — will be difficult. Still, fair courts advocates expressed a fierce determination to fight on.
“We need to raise the heat even more in 2026. We simply cannot be handing lifetime appointments to individuals whose loyalty is to an authoritarian rather than to the Constitution and the rule of law,” said Chen Zinner of Alliance for Justice. “We need to ask tough questions, and we need to raise a public outcry over how disturbing their records are. Otherwise, we’ll be handing our democracy over to judges who are openly unwilling to uphold it.”