The Republican Congress’ blockade of federal judicial appointments by President Barack Obama has given Donald Trump an enormous opportunity to stack the bench with ideological fellow travelers and the results have been scary in the case of some poorly qualified idelogical warriors.

Apart from philosophy, the Trump appointees also reflect a shift in diversity, back toward choices that lean heavily toward white males. The Washington Post as a long analysis here. A simple comparison of the Obama nominees pending when he left office and Trump’s first 59 is telling.

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The Post article comments:

To be sure, judges are more than their demographic identities. However, a great deal of scholarship shows that background characteristics, including demographics, affect judicial decision-making, especially in small-group settings.

Trump’s homogenous nominee cohort could weaken the judicial system’s legitimacy in the public’s eye. If the judiciary does not reflect the people it serves, underrepresented groups are likely to be less trusting of those institutions, research shows. Furthermore, homogeneity in particular careers tends to be self-reinforcing. If you never see a judge that looks like you, then research shows you subconsciously determine that this institution and career path are not open to you.

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