An Associated Press review shows that roughly half of the 17 federal judges President Donald Trump has nominated in his second term have publicly opposed abortion or helped defend state restrictions, underscoring a long-term shift in the judiciary even as the president says the issue should be left to the states. Trump is urging the Senate to move quickly on the lifetime appointments. Among the nominees, Florida district court pick Jordan Pratt called abortion a “barbaric practice,” while Missouri’s Joshua Divine, who once described himself as a “zealot” for the anti-abortion movement, co-authored the lawsuit seeking to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Other candidates have defended strict bans in Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. Four nominees come from Missouri and five from Florida—states that already enforce some of the nation’s toughest abortion laws. Legal scholars warn that stacking the federal bench with judges who have worked against abortion could influence national policy for decades, particularly in disputes over medication abortion and challenges to state-level bans. The approach, they say, allows abortion policy to be reshaped without new congressional action. White House spokesman Harrison Fields said the nominees fulfill Trump’s campaign promises and reflect the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Anti-abortion groups welcomed the trend, while abortion-rights advocates contend the administration is embedding opponents of the procedure "one judge at a time."