Thread by @ZoeTillman

In just four years, Trump and Senate Republicans transformed the federal courts with a new generation of young, conservative judges.

What can Biden do? A deep dive into the numbers, the players, and how judges are thinking about when it's time to go.
buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

It might seem obvious that some Clinton-era judges were waiting out Trump. But there are some GOP appointees Trump/McConnell couldn't convince to step aside (and they tried).

"I wouldn't say it's a dealbreaker," one said of leaving under a Dem president.
buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Biden will start at a big disadvantage compared to the number of vacancies Trump inherited in Jan. 2017, after McConnell held up Obama's nominees — there are far fewer vacancies now, and Senate Rs are racing to fill what they can before Biden takes office
buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

What Biden can do with judicial nominations hinges on the Georgia runoff election — spoke with a Clinton-era judge who has been waiting out Trump and might stay on a bit longer if GOP keeps control, because it could force Biden to compromise on some seats
buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Two Senate/Obama admin alums on Biden's transition team are building lists of potential nominees. Outside groups want a focus on both demographic and professional diversity — more public defs and civil rights lawyers, fewer prosecutors and corporate attys buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

And what about the calls for structural court reform — adding judgeships or term limits for SCOTUS — that managed to break through during the campaign? Advocates aren't giving up on those, and are hoping to build on the judiciary's own push for more judges buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…