Schumer claims victory after late-night deal on judges

• Schumer lacked the votes to fill the four vacancies that he will now leave open for the Trump administration, a spokesperson for the Democratic leader said.
• Republicans pulled Schumer to the negotiating table after dragging out judicial confirmation votes past midnight.
• Senate Democrats have confirmed 221 judges under the Biden administration — just 13 short of matching the GOP record from the first Trump administration.

The big picture: Schumer will hold confirmation votes on seven judicial nominees when lawmakers return to Washington in two weeks, putting him within striking distance of the first Trump administration number.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday also advanced six more nominations that Schumer can now tee up for a floor vote. If all of those nominees are confirmed, he would match the 234 nominees confirmed by the GOP under Trump.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee will continue to report more nominees through the end of the year.

The bottom line: Republicans will be satisfied that in the weening days of their minority that they were able to keep four circuit court slots open for when they enter the majority next year.

• Democrats proved they are serious about jamming the nominees through the Senate, and Republicans proved that they were willing to go to the mat against Schumer's agenda.