Donald Trump's judicial nominations have been the most successful part of a presidency that has often misfired. The nominees are not only a tribute to the President but to an idea and to an organization. The idea is originalism—the notion that the Constitution's provisions should be interpreted according the meaning they had at the time they were enacted. They should not become vessels for judges to update their meaning.
The organization is the Federalist Society. It is established around the ideal of originalism, and enlists thousands of lawyers around the nation in defending it. Now more than thirty years old, it has gained in strength over the decades. And some of its best and most articulate members have become Trump's nominees for the federal district and appellate courts.
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