WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump has spent his first 18 months in office restocking, and reshaping, courts all across the federal judiciary. Now he has the chance to make his mark on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Once considered one of the most conservative courts in the country, the 4th Circuit was for years viewed as hostile to civil rights. It was stacked with judges approved by Senate lions Jesse Helms of North Carolina and Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, right-wing warriors who wielded heavy influence in the selection and confirmation process.
But over the past decade, because of six appointees from President Barack Obama, the 15-member 4th Circuit _ which hears cases in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia _ has moved decidedly to the left.
It's become a favorable court for liberal causes and a thorn in the side of North Carolina's conservative legislature in particular, striking down, among other laws, the state's voter ID mandate and a requirement that doctors provide ultrasounds to patients who want to have an abortion prior to performing the procedure.
Trump has had more judges confirmed to the federal appellate courts in his first 18 months than any other president, according to the Boston Globe, and now he has three vacancies to fill on the Richmond, Va.-based court. Each outgoing 4th Circuit judge has taken, or will soon take, "senior status," a semi-retired status for those who have met age and service requirements but can still hear cases and help meet the needs of the court.
Trump's picks won't dramatically shift the court's ideology overnight: They will be replacing judges who have conservative or centrist reputations. Ten members of the court were picked by Democratic presidents Obama and Bill Clinton, and nine of those are staying on.
Still, the newcomers _ young and conservative _ will have a lasting legacy, long after Trump leaves office.
"My goal is to make sure we have qualified conservatives on the (4th Circuit) court, and that's where we're headed," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Graham, who could be the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, told McClatchy that Trump could "100 percent" remake the 4th Circuit. Graham added he's on a mission to help Trump do just that. So, too, is Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
The court has five judges born in 1947 or earlier, opening the possibility that Trump will have more chances to reshape the court.
"I look forward to being a part of that," Tillis said.