The third of the four big questions that I posed on judicial appointments in 2025 was “How quickly will Trump begin making judicial nominations?” I expected him to aim to beat Joe Biden’s mark of April 19 for a first slate of nominees. My expectation was heightened when White House counsel David Warrington stated at an event at Scalia law school on February 13 that he thought that the first nominations would be made “in a couple of weeks” (or some very similar phrase).
But as law professor Seth Barrett Tillman reminds me, President Trump has still not made any judicial nominations, even as there are now 6 appellate seats and 53 district seats to fill.
The White House legal team has of course been busy with lots of matters, so it’s perhaps not surprising if judicial nominations have not been a high priority. And a bit of delay won’t matter much if the first slate of nominees signals a resounding affirmative answer to my fourth big question: “Will Trump continue to make high-quality picks [as he did in his first term]?”