Schumer trades circuit court nominees for district judges in November 2024 deal

Chuck Schumer abandoned four circuit court nominees on November 20, 2024, in exchange for confirming nine district judges

Adeel Mangi would have been the first Muslim federal appeals court judge in U.S. history but was abandoned after facing opposition from Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Joe Manchin

Ryan Park would have been the first Asian American on the Fourth Circuit (covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia)

The deal allowed district judges including Sparkle Sooknanan (DC), Brian Edward Murphy (Massachusetts), Anne Hwang (Central California), and six others to be confirmed

Biden finished his term with 235 federal judges confirmed (December 2024), surpassing Trump's first-term total of 234

Circuit courts hold more power than district courts—they set binding precedent across multiple states and hear appeals on constitutional questions

The abandoned seats could flip six circuit courts (Third, Fourth, Ninth, Tenth, D.C., Federal) from Democratic to Republican control if judges retire under Trump

Blue slip tradition for circuit courts was eliminated in 2017 by Chuck Grassley, meaning circuit nominees no longer need home-state senator approval