In a Truth Social post on Saturday afternoon, President Donald Trump urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, to cancel the Senate’s summer recess and its long weekend breaks to push through his nominee confirmations.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump’s push reflects his continued strategy to reshape the federal judiciary, a defining feature of his first term, during which Republicans confirmed 234 federal judges.
Unlike his first term, when he inherited over 100 vacancies due to Senate obstruction during former President Barack Obama’s final years, Trump now faces only 49 vacancies among nearly 900 federal judgeships. The accelerated timeline could significantly impact the judicial landscape and establish precedent for future confirmation processes.
What To Know
In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump wrote: “Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed. We need them badly!!! DJT”
The request comes as the Senate confirmed Trump’s first judicial nominee of his second term this week, approving Whitney Hermandorfer for the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a strict 46-42 party-line vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for permanent U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. Democrats staged a walkout during Thursday’s committee vote, primarily objecting to Emil Bove’s controversial nomination for appellate judge. Bove, who represented Trump in his New York criminal case and served as acting deputy attorney general, faces scrutiny over whistleblower allegations that he suggested defying court orders in immigration cases.
Trump’s current judicial slate includes five Missouri-based nominees and one D.C. Superior Court nominee, all with strong conservative credentials and connections to Republican legal networks.
What People Are Saying
Senate Majority Leader John Thune on X after meeting with Trump on Friday: “Great night at the White House with President Trump and Senate Republicans celebrating a successful six months of implementing our pro-America agenda.”
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York posted on X after Hermandorfer’s confirmation: “Here’s who Senate GOP is trying to put on the federal bench: Whitney Hermandorfer. Less than ten years of legal experience. Never served as the sole or chief counsel on a single case that was tried to verdict. Made a career out of going after reproductive rights, trans rights, anti-discrimination policies. Tried to strike down protections for employees who need reproductive care. Supported Trump firing of more than a dozen inspectors general. The list of reasons why she would make a terrible judge goes on, and on, and on.”
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker blasted one of Trump’s most controversial nominees on X: “Emil Bove not only knows (and is complicit in hiding) things about the Epstein files, but has told Trump to “f****” court orders. Bove is dangerous and reckless and his confirmation to a lifelong judicial seat needs to be stopped.”
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, wrote on X: “Senate Republicans just confirmed their first judicial nominee of Trump 2.0. Whitney Hermandorfer is inexperienced and partisan – with a record that repeatedly put Donald Trump ahead of the law. This is the playbook we must watch for, call out, and vote down.”
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
What Happens Next
The Judiciary Committee will vote on additional nominees, including the controversial Bove nomination, which faces continued Democratic opposition over the whistleblower allegations.
Senate Majority Leader Thune has not yet responded to Trump’s request to cancel the August recess, though he previously vowed to prioritize swift confirmations despite fewer available vacancies.
Update 5/12/25, 8:32 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
