Senate Democrats are preparing to slam the door on any right-wing Supreme Court pick. Chuck Schumer said his party will use its new majority to stop President Donald Trump from installing another hard-line justice and will reject weak nominees for the rest of the federal courts and the Cabinet.

Schumer who is expected to return as majority leader next year laid out that line after Democrats flipped enough seats to take the chamber. The party already holds at least 54 seats with races in Alaska and Mississippi still unfinished.

A hard line on the courts

Schumer framed the midterm result as a reset after years in which Republicans pushed through conservative justices. He said Democrats will not rubber-stamp anyone they view as extreme for the high court and will apply the same filter to lower-court and Cabinet choices.

That stance matters even with a divided government. Confirmations still need Senate votes. A Democratic majority can slow or stop nominees that once would have cleared a Republican-led chamber.

Beyond nominations

Court fights are only part of the plan. Democratic leaders say their early agenda also includes restoring health insurance subsidies rolling back Medicaid cuts and trying to rein in tariffs tied to higher prices. They also want fresh votes that could constrain the war with Iran.

Investigations are next on the list. House Democrats now expect subpoena power and have already signaled a wave of oversight aimed at the administration. Schumer's Senate message matches that push: use the majority to check the executive branch rather than clear every nomination that arrives.

The new Congress convenes in January. Until then unfinished Senate counts and leadership races will set the exact size of the Democratic edge Schumer plans to wield.