Judges end retirement plans: Trump loses appointment option

In the United States, a judge for the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, James Wynn, unexpectedly withdrew his retirement from active service. This move denies the elected Republican President Donald Trump the opportunity to fill the vacated judge position. Wynn, appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, informed the current Democratic President Joe Biden of his decision. He is the first judge to revise his plans since Trump's election victory on November 5, although two other judges have already done something similar, which has particularly displeased conservative politicians. Republican Senator Thom Tillis criticized Wynn's decision as an attempt to politicize the system of judicial retirement. This development came shortly after Ryan's successor, North Carolina Attorney General Ryan Park, withdrew his candidacy due to lack of Senate support. A bipartisan agreement in the Senate allowed for votes on several of Biden’s remaining first instance candidates but blocked four appellate judge candidates, including Park. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that all four candidates had not received enough votes for confirmation. Trump theoretically would have had the chance to fill four vacant judge positions as of January 20, provided that two of the judges appointed by Democrats actually retired. One of these judges was Wynn, who reconsidered his original plans and withdrew from Biden. The group "Article III Project," led by Trump supporter Mike Davis, has filed complaints against the two other judges who have withdrawn their retirement plans. These judges, Max Cogburn in North Carolina and Algenon Marbley in Ohio, have so far not commented.