During the sixth Democratic presidential debate on December 19, Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg shared their criteria for nominating federal judges and Supreme Court justices.

Debate moderator Judy Woodruff noted that most of the “nearly 200 judges” Donald Trump has appointed “are young and can shape American law for decades,” and asked Sen. Klobuchar about the role Trump’s appointees would play in enacting her agenda.

Klobuchar expressed that especially in light of Trump’s judicial takeover, the next president should prioritize judicial confirmations.“We have to immediately start putting judges on the bench to fill vacancies so that we can reverse the horrific nature of these Trump judges,” she responded.

Buttigieg added that “it is critical that we have justices who understand that American freedom includes reproductive rights and reproductive freedom … I expect an understanding that voting rights are human rights. I expect an understanding that equality is required of us all.”