Washington, August 6 (RHC)-- The U.S. Senate has confirmed 13 more of President Donald Trump’s nominees to the federal bench in a flurry of votes before lawmakers left Capital Hill for the August recess.

Among those newly confirmed as federal judges are Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Brown and Texas attorney Brantley Starr.  Both are openly hostile to immigrant rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights and LGBTQ equality.  

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said in a statement: “Senate Republicans will stop at nothing to stack the courts with partisan judges who will push their radical agenda through at any cost.  In doing so, they are not only degrading our courts, but also endangering our democracy.”

In related news, a federal judge has temporarily blocked a New York law that would allow the House Ways and Means Committee to obtain President Trump’s state income tax returns.  Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee to the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., said that the injunction will remain in effect while Trump’s lawsuit challenging the law proceeds.

According to reports, the court will hear arguments on August 29th.  Democrats say they need to see Trump’s tax returns to investigate any potential conflicts of interest or self-dealing related to Trump’s sprawling business empire.