President Donald Trump is distancing himself from the group that Republicans have long relied on to rubber-stamp judicial nominees. But some conservatives warn that icing out the Federalist Society could leave him without the infrastructure to build on the judicial branch his party has long dreamed of.
Trump publicly dunked on the Federalist Society — calling Leonard Leo, the conservative activist behind his first term’s judicial pipeline, a “sleazebag” — and lamented the group’s past guidance on judicial nominations.
He also elevated his personal criminal defense attorney, longtime ally and current Justice Department official Emil Bove, as his pick to be a federal appeals court judge. Critics see it as an effort to stack the bench with loyalists. His confirmation process could test other Republicans’ appetite for a shakeup in how their party has long selected its nominees, and some say, could pave the way to a more politicized judiciary.