McConnell “has been personally reaching out to judges to sound them out on their plans and assure them that they would have a worthy successor if they gave up their seats soon.” NYT: McConnell Has a Request for Veteran Federal Judges: Please Quit.

+ It’s always been about the judges. And that’s even more true as the clock might be running out on the Trump era. NYT: A Conservative Agenda Unleashed on the Federal Courts. “The new judges have been selected for their rock-solid conservative credentials … All but eight had ties to the Federalist Society, a legal group with views once considered on ‘the fringe.'”

+ In other legal news, the Justice Dept. Moves to Drop Charges Against Russian Firms Filed by Mueller.