Federal Judges Reverse Retirement Plans Following Trump’s Election Victory

Three Democratic-appointed federal judges have rescinded retirement decisions, preventing President-elect Donald Trump from filling their seats with conservative nominees.

Judge James Wynn of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rescinded his retirement, becoming the first appellate judge and third federal judge to reverse such a decision since Trump's election win.
Judges Max Cogburn and Algenon Marbley, both Democratic appointees, also reversed their plans to retire, citing the lack of confirmed successors and concerns about Trump’s judicial appointments.
These decisions block Trump from appointing younger, ideologically conservative judges to lifetime positions, a key Republican priority for reshaping the judiciary.
Republican leaders, including Senator Thom Tillis and Mitch McConnell, criticized the judges' actions as overtly partisan and called for ethics investigations and potential recusal measures.
Judicial retirements often align with political transitions, but reversing retirement decisions is historically rare, with only two prior instances in recent decades.