Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized two federal judges for reversing their plans to retire after former President Trump won re-election in November. McConnell called the judges “partisan Democrat district judges” and suggested their decision to “unretire” was politically motivated.
Judge Algenon Marbley of Ohio, who was appointed by President Clinton, announced in November that he would stay on the bench because President Biden had not yet nominated a replacement. Similarly, Judge Max Cogburn of North Carolina, appointed by President Obama, also decided to stay after initially planning to retire.
Both judges had previously intended to reduce their workload by taking senior status, which would allow them to work less until the president appointed a successor. McConnell criticized their decision to rescind their retirements, saying it looked like a political move.
He urged the incoming Trump administration to look into whether these judges should recuse themselves from certain cases. McConnell also warned other judges with planned retirements not to follow this example, as it would go against a bipartisan agreement on judicial nominations that would allow Trump to appoint four important judges after he takes office.
The article also mentions a deal between McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, where Republicans agreed to let several of Biden’s judicial nominees be confirmed, in exchange for allowing Trump to fill certain vacancies next year. However, a Democratic source mentioned that not all of these vacancies are certain, and some judges may not retire as planned.