A very conservative group called the Federalist Society has prepared a list of candidates that Trump is using to pick judges. This ensures that they will get extreme conservatives – no more picks like Souter who turned out to be more moderate. Since the 1990s, Republicans have emphasized picking young judges which ensures they will serve a long time.
The Democrats should copy this strategy. They should develop an organization to identify liberal judicial candidates. That will make it easier for the next Democratic president. Of course, another key is getting Democratic control of the Senate. I don’t know if a Republican Senate would ever approve a Democratic Supreme Court pick. The Republican strategy of not voting on Garland and picking extreme conservatives (Gorsuch, Kavanaugh) should push the Democrats to create a mirror image for judicial picks – they will pick extremely liberal judges to balance out the Trump picks. Down the road, judges might as well wear red robes or blue robes. There will be no moderates and most decisions will be made along party lines. The Republican strategy has politicized the courts.
Sad! 