Trump’s Exaggerated Judicial Boasts
President Donald Trump recently boasted about the unusually high number of judicial appointments he has made so far, but in doing so he exaggerated and mischaracterized some of the facts:
- In terms of “quality and quantity,” Trump said his judicial appointments will be “just about No. 1 by the time we finish — No. 1 of any president, any administration.” That’s likely true for the “quantity”: A media analysis found he has filled circuit court vacancies at a faster rate than recent presidents.
- As for “quality,” that’s his opinion. But the American Bar Association has rated more of Trump’s appointees as “Not Qualified” than any other president in modern history.
- Trump also boasted that the average age of his newly appointed circuit court judges is “10 years younger than President Obama’s nominees.” That’s true now, because Obama’s circuit court judges were appointed years ago. But looking at the ages of
