WASHINGTON D.C. — The Trump administration has secured another major victory in its effort to reshape the federal judiciary, while simultaneously gaining the upper hand in the political battle over the ongoing government shutdown.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate advanced the confirmation of Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe to serve as U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. The confirmation passed with a vote of 53–46, cementing another conservative jurist on the federal bench.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the win, framing it as a triumph of public safety over judicial activism.
“Anne-Leigh has fiercely advocated for Sunshine State residents… [she] will prioritize LAW AND ORDER unlike other activist Judges who put the safety of Illegal Criminals over the safety of AMERICANS,” Trump wrote.
Moe brings nearly a decade of experience as a circuit judge in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and has served on the Second District Court of Appeal since 2022.
The Shutdown Strategy
While the Senate confirms judges, the government remains partially shut down—a standoff that political analysts say is backfiring on Democrats.
According to CNN data analyst Harry Enten, President Trump appears to be in “no hurry” to resolve the impasse because it is simply not hurting him politically. Unlike the 2018-2019 shutdown, where Trump’s approval dipped, his current standing has remained stable or even improved.
“This shutdown hasn’t eaten into Donald Trump support at all. His net approval rating is actually up a point,” Enten admitted. “There’s no real reason Donald Trump might say… ‘I want to get out of this shutdown.’”
[Chart: Percentage of Americans Blaming Trump for Shutdown (2019 vs. Present)]
Democrats on Defense
The data suggests a shift in public perception. While 61% of Americans blamed Trump for the previous shutdown, only 48% hold him responsible now.
The impasse centers on spending legislation. Democrats have pledged to block any bill that fails to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, effectively holding government operations hostage over policy demands. With Republicans holding only slim majorities, they require Democrat support to pass funding measures—meaning the refusal of Senate Democrats to negotiate places the responsibility for the shutdown squarely on their shoulders.
As Enten noted: “It’s not actually harming me politically,” is likely the mindset in the Oval Office, as the President continues to fill the courts while his opponents struggle to control the narrative.