Democrats Are Confirming Trump’s Crony Judges — And It’s an Indefensible Failure

Here's what you need to know, and the key call to action I need you to take to fight back

We need to talk about the No Crony Judges Campaign.

For years I have warned that among the greatest threats to American democracy is not only the authoritarian movement itself, but the judges who enable it. I’ve written extensively about judges who rubber-stamp voter suppression, who ignore police brutality, who greenlight mass surveillance, who deny immigrants due process, who look the other way at unconstitutional wars, who shield corporate polluters, who treat civil rights as optional. And I’ve faced attempts at professional retaliation—including threats of disbarment—for insisting that judges must follow the Constitution and protect the people they serve.

So when I tell you that what is happening right now in our courts is an emergency, I say that as someone who has spent his life fighting for due process and seeing firsthand the devastation that follows when courts surrender their independence. Sadly, this has quickly become a bipartisan problem with Democrats who are also complicit in confirming Trump’s judges. Here I lay out the difficult situation we face, name the complicit politicians, and detail the steps we must take to fight back.

Let’s Address This.

Trump Has Turned Judges Into Political Loyalists

A new report from Demand Justice—which fights to protect our courts and our rights from authoritarian takeover—reveals a chilling pattern: every single one of Trump’s 2025 judicial nominees has refused to acknowledge the basic truth that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and that January 6th was an attack on the United States.

Not one nominee would affirm the validity of the 2020 election. Not one nominee would acknowledge the reality of January 6. And 21 of 27 called it “a political issue” — using identical evasive language straight from Trump’s own talking points.

This is not normal judicial vetting. This is ideological screening—the exact tactic authoritarians use to consolidate power. Trump’s nominees are not hiding it because they are not out to prove they will courageously defend the Constitution. No. They are auditioning for a lifetime appointment of subservience and loyalty to one single man.

And 18 Democratic Senators Helped Them

Despite all of these red flags, 18 Senate Democrats have already confirmed at least one of these nominees. They are as follows:

Coons (DE), Durbin (IL), Fetterman (PA), Gallego (AZ), Hassan (NH), Heinrich (NM), Hirono (HI), Kaine (VA), Kelly (AZ), King (ME), Klobuchar (MN), Peters (MI), Reed (RI), Rosen (NV), Schiff (CA), Shaheen (NH), Welch (VT), and Whitehouse (RI).

This is indefensible. At a moment when Trump is openly promising to weaponize the DOJ against political opponents, when his administration is firing career prosecutors and replacing them with loyalists, when the National Guard is being used as a political prop to silence dissent, when nonprofits are being targeted simply for defending vulnerable communities—Senate Democrats should be the last line of defense.

Instead, some of them are helping pave the way.

We Know Where This Road Leads

When courts bend to authoritarian demands, justice collapses. We have seen this tragedy unfold repeatedly throughout American history. The Supreme Court once ruled 6-3 to uphold the internment of Japanese Americans, sanctioning one of the most disgraceful civil liberties violations of the 20th century. Courts blessed Jim Crow, legitimizing mass disenfranchisement and racial apartheid. Federal judges greenlit COINTELPRO surveillance that targeted and terrorized Black activists fighting for basic rights. More recently, courts allowed the Muslim Ban to stand, signaling that discrimination cloaked in national-security rhetoric could override constitutional protections. And time and again, judges have dismissed cases documenting atrocities abroad, enabling presidents to wield unchecked executive power. These are not abstract historical mistakes—they are stark reminders that when the judiciary abandons its role as a check on power, the most vulnerable pay the highest price.

And internationally, we have watched in real time how courts unwilling to check power enable genocide, war crimes, and mass displacement. The pattern is always the same: when judges stop defending rights, authoritarianism accelerates.

We cannot afford to repeat this pattern in 2025—not with a president already using the DOJ as a personal weapon, already purging civil servants, already testing the limits of institutional collapse.

Here’s The Red Line

A judge who cannot state the truth about an election cannot be trusted to protect voting rights. A judge who cannot acknowledge January 6 cannot be trusted to protect the Constitution. A judge who parrots Trump’s talking points cannot be trusted to protect the vulnerable from government abuse. The judiciary exists to protect the people, not the powerful. Lifetime judicial appointments cannot become rewards for political loyalty or silence in the face of lies.

And nationwide, people are waking up. They are voting in special elections, suing to protect voting rights, organizing against gerrymanders, blocking authoritarian power grabs, and defeating election deniers. The No Crony Judges campaign is part of that movement—a public pledge that Senate Democrats must vote NO on every Trump nominee who refuses to tell the truth.

If they continue confirming judges who help normalize authoritarianism, they will be held accountable.

Your Call To Action Today

I know we are outraged at this lack of leadership. But outrage alone is not enough. We must organize, channel that rage, and make clear that our elected officials work for us.

1. Add your name to the No Crony Judges pledge. Share it. Call your senators. Demand they vote NO on every Trump nominee who refuses to affirm basic truth.

2. Call the above 18 Senators. Here are their numbers and a sample script:

All senators can be reached through the same Capitol switchboard prefix: 202-224-. Just dial the extension that follows:

• Adam Schiff (CA) — 3841

• Chris Coons (DE) — 5042

• Dick Durbin (IL) — 2152

• John Fetterman (PA) — 4254

• Ruben Gallego (AZ) — 4521

• Maggie Hassan (NH) — 3324

• Martin Heinrich (NM) — 5521

• Tim Kaine (VA) — 4024

• Mark Kelly (AZ) — 2235

• Angus King (ME) — 5344

• Amy Klobuchar (MN) — 3244

• Gary Peters (MI) — 6221

• Jack Reed (RI) — 4642

• Jacky Rosen (NV) — 6244

• Jeanne Shaheen (NH) — 2841

• Peter Welch (VT) — 4242

• Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) — 2921

• Mazie Hirono (HI) — 6361

3. Here is a sample script to follow when you call them

Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m a constituent calling to express my deep outrage that Senator ________ voted to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees who refuse to acknowledge the 2020 election results or the reality of January 6.

These nominees are not impartial judges—they are political operatives repeating Trump’s lies, and confirming them normalizes authoritarianism. As a voter, I expect the Senator to protect the integrity of our courts, not help stack them with cronies who endanger our rights, our democracy, and the rule of law.

I’m asking the Senator to immediately commit to voting NO on all future Trump nominees who will not affirm basic facts about our democracy, and to publicly explain their past votes.

We need independent courts that work for the people—not for one autocrat.

Thank you.

Conclusion

I have spent my career defending people targeted by the state, fighting judges who deny due process, and standing up for the rule of law even when it costs me personally. I am telling you now: this moment is as dangerous as anything I have ever seen. We cannot allow our courts to be captured by cronies. We cannot allow Democrats to join Republicans in normalizing a judiciary loyal to Trump instead of the Constitution.

Because if we surrender the courts, we surrender democracy itself—and that is a future none of us can afford.