Biden’s Judicial Nominations to Get Trickier in Second Year

President Joe Biden faces more challenges getting judges confirmed as he turns to vacancies in states with Republican senators, while trying to further diversify the federal bench and facing what could be a closing window after midterm elections.

Biden and the Democratic-led Senate confirmed a diverse slate of 40 district and appellate judges in 2021, beating out the first-year totals for every president since Ronald Reagan.

Those efforts have made judicial confirmations an important accomplishment for the Biden administration and a bright spot for progressives who hoped the former Senate Judiciary Committee chair would focus on filling the judiciary with ...