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In a stunning admission on PBS NewsHour, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer revealed that Democrats deliberately placed 235 progressive judges on the bench with the specific intention of thwarting President Donald Trump’s actions through legal means.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, his administration has encountered an unprecedented wave of legal challenges. In less than two months, the administration has faced 132 legal battles, with a mere two cases reaching resolution.
During his appearance on the program, Schumer openly discussed this strategic judicial placement when responding to host Geoff Bennett’s inquiry about a potential constitutional crisis.
> Geoff Bennett:
There are those who believe that we are, in real time, living through an assault on the constitutional order. Do you believe that we are in a constitutional crisis right now?
Chuck Schumer:
Yes. Our democracy is at risk because Donald Trump shows that he wishes to violate the laws in many, many different ways. The good news here is, we did put 235 judges—progressive judges, judges not under the control of Trump—last year on the bench, and they are ruling against Trump time after time after time.
We hope that the appellate courts, when it gets up there in the Supreme Court, will uphold those rulings. They restored the money to NIH. They required that 8,000 federal employees have to come back. We’re in over 100 lawsuits against them, and we are having a good deal of success. It’s only at the lower court level right now.
The revelation prompted swift backlash from Republican leadership. Senator Mike Lee of Utah expressed his concerns on X, pointing out the concerning implications of Schumer’s statement.
Chuck Schumer admits they’re using the activist judges they appointed under Joe Biden to obstruct President Trump.
That’s always been their plan. pic.twitter.com/vU3iykEuGC
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 19, 2025
> “Progressive judges”
That doesn’t mean “judges who follow the law”
It means progressive activists wearing black robes
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 20, 2025
Arizona Representative Eli Crane also weighed in on the controversy, highlighting the deliberate nature of the Democrats’ strategy.
> Here you have Schumer admitting that they put progressive judges in place for the explicit purpose of ruling against Trump.
It’s all coordinated and intentional.
Congress must act.
