As I have mentioned before, in addition to the Supreme Court, Donald Trump appointed a tremendous number of Federal Court Judges, which most people have not taken note of.
Nearly 40% of the Judges he has appointed have a history of hostility towards the LGBTQ community. This is truly significant since the Federal Courts are throughout the land and in each of the states and they are the avenue which cases will have to travel to reach the Supreme Court. Many cases therefore could be cut short by an unfriendly decision in a lower Federal Court case.
Trump's lasting impact on the Federal Judiciary could roll back and reverse much of the progress made by the LGBTQ community over decades. Unfortunately, he has significantly altered the makeup of the Federal Judiciary, from the Lower Courts, right up to the Supreme Court. This was also made possible by Senate Republicans and they may also create an obstacle for the new administration.
In total, over his four years as president, Trump appointed 3 Supreme Court Judges and 230 Lower Court Judges to lifetime positions, many of which are young, white and male Jurists, who have come to the bench with a perspective that LGBTQ people are “less than”. This had a lot to do with Trump’s administration being able to get confirmation of appointees. The fact is, Trump has placed about 30% of the active serving Federal Appeals Court Judges. This is freighting.
When you think of it in numbers, the Supreme Court has roughly 100 to 150 cases annually but the 13 Federal Appeal Courts around the country hear thousands of the most consequential cases every year that shape the laws and effect the rights of millions of Americans. This is a dangerous outcome of the current administration that many did not look closely enough at.
This article is a very good read with respect to exactly how the judiciary looks going forward and the damage that Trump may have caused.