The Verdict Is in on Trump's Judges

If Republicans don't appreciate Donald Trump now, they will later. That's when his biggest accomplishment -- the courts -- will reap the most rewards. For the last 10 months, the White House has been working at a frantic pace to confirm originalist judges, a quest that's not only making history -- but securing it.

Not since Richard Nixon has any president moved faster or more strategically on judicial nominees than Donald Trump. And while the Supreme Court is what captures most people's attention, the real work is being done a step below -- on the appellate level. That's where, experts say, the real genius comes in.

In a fascinating article, even the New York Times can't help but notice (with reluctant admiration) how the Trump team has intentionally gone about balancing the courts from the Obama years. "There has never been anything like what we've been able to do together with judges," the president said recently. He's right. By filling the appellate courts with constitutionalists, Trump's team is making sure that Americans get a fair shake from the judges who hand down the majority of the country's rulings. As the Times points out, "The 12 regional appeals courts wield profound influence over Americans' lives, getting the final word on about 60,000 cases a year that are not among the roughly 80 the Supreme Court hears."

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