Georgia's largest federal trial court will soon have a vacancy for Trump

February 13th, 2025

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

The chief judge of Georgia’s largest federal trial court is retiring, creating a vacancy for President Donald Trump to fill.

Chief Judge Timothy Batten Sr. of the Northern District of Georgia announced on Wednesday, Feb. 5, that he plans to retire in May when he turns 65 and becomes eligible. It comes after he spent 20 years on the bench and four as the court’s chief judge.

Appointed by former President George W. Bush, Batten is the most senior of 11 full-time district judges, including four appointed by Trump during his first term and six appointed by Democrats.

Federal district judges frequently decide on critical issues like abortion, immigration and transgender rights. And in 2020, Batten presided over one of the many lawsuits alleging widespread fraud in that year’s presidential election before dismissing the Georgia case.

While the Republican-led U.S. Senate needs to confirm Batten’s replacement, little pushback is expected.

Federal judges generally have lifetime appointments, and Trump has promised to choose “rock solid” conservatives.

In the meantime, a debate is brewing over whether or not Trump’s administration should defy federal court orders and move forward with its agenda.

That’s because the president has lost nearly every battle in court in the opening weeks of his administration, which includes freezing federal grants and loans, banning trans troops from the military and moving trans prisoners to facilities that match their sex assigned at birth, according to the Washington Post.

A Reagan appointee in Seattle wrote when he blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship that it had become “ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals.”

“The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain,” U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour stated.