Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Can President Trump 'pack' the federal court system?

    Judge Neil Gorsuch is likely to be confirmed to the US Supreme Court, and there may be other vacancies in the next four years. In addition, 124 judicial benches are open in federal appellate and district courts all over the country, and more retirements are inevitable. As long as Republicans dominate the Senate, there's a real chance that Mr.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Mar 22, 2017 • 1 min read

    Judge Neil Gorsuch is likely to be confirmed to the US Supreme Court, and there may be other vacancies in the next four years. In addition, 124 judicial benches are open in federal appellate and district courts all over the country, and more retirements are inevitable. As long as Republicans dominate the Senate, there's a real chance that Mr. Trump could push the system to the Right for generations. That's been the goal of so-called "dark money" spent by shadowy billionaires to make American institutions more to their liking.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Political appointments and the reshaping of the judiciary
    1. 1:27UK Parliament goes on lockdown after attacks in London
    2. 8:01Can President Trump 'pack' the federal court system?You’re reading this
    3. 41:55Manafort earned millions working to benefit Putin
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sáša Woodruff

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Luke Vander Ploeg

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Robert Barnes

      Supreme Court correspondent for the Washington Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      John Malcolm

      Heritage Foundation

    • KCRW placeholder

      Elizabeth Wydra

      Constitutional Accountability Center

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Political appointments and the reshaping of the judiciary
    1. 1:27UK Parliament goes on lockdown after attacks in London
    2. 8:01Can President Trump 'pack' the federal court system?You’re reading this
    3. 41:55Manafort earned millions working to benefit Putin
    Back to To the Point