<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Trump Administration on Thursday confirmed Judge Michael Park to the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Along with Joseph Bianco, who was confirmed on Wednesday, the 2nd is now comprised of </span><span class="s1">6 Republican-appointed judges and 7 Democratic-appointed judges. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The 2nd hears cases from New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. Because it has jurisdiction over Manhattan, the 2nd hears a significant number of key corporate and securities law cases.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Judges Park and Bianco bring the total number of federal judges confirmed under the Trump Administration to 104. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Here’s how that breaks down: </b></span></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li>
<ul class="ul1">
<li><span class="s1">Supreme Court: 2</span></li>
<li><span class="s1">Appeals Courts: 39</span></li>
<li><span class="s1">District Courts: 63</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Since the lower courts hear and decide far more cases than the Supreme Court, Trump’s nominations to the district and appeals courts are perhaps even more important than his additions to SCOTUS. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Most of Trump’s nominees are young, meaning they will exert a conservative influence for decades. </span><span class="s1">And in today&#8217;s era of activist judges,</span><span class="s1"> this is a major blow to Democrats that will have a massive cultural impact. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“It’s a generational change,” explains Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO). &#8220;This president is reshaping the courts for a generation, and thank goodness that he is because we need pro-<i>Constitution</i>, rule-of-law judges. It’s an extraordinary opportunity.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">When Trump took office, the Dems had a 90-71 advantage in appointments of active judges among the Circuit Courts. Now, Republicans lead the way with a margin of 90-83.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Trump flipped his first appeals court (the 3rd) last month, and will likely flip the 2nd later this year when two of its current judges reach “senior status” (age 70) and are required to step down.</span></p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note</strong>: This may not be Trump&#8217;s most public victory, but it may be his longest lasting legacy. He is determining how cases will be resolved for a long time to come, and how rapid cultural changes will be. If he should happen to replace one additional Supreme Courts justice, it guarantees two generations of conservative dominated rulings.</p>