White House urges Senate Democrats to approve new judges before term ends

Up to 30 nominees for vacant federal judgeships could be confirmed by 3 January but potential obstacles remain

Senate Democrats are racing to confirm up to 30 federal judges nominated by Joe Biden to avoid leaving vacancies that could be filled by Donald Trump when he retakes the White House.

The expected flurry of judicial approvals has been triggered by the Democrats' loss of their single-seat majority in last week's elections, in which Republicans took 53 of the Senate's 100 seats.