After nearly a decade in the role, Mitch McConnell announced on Wednesday that he will leave his role as Senate Minority Leader at the end of this year.
The news will come as a relief for many in the conservative movement, who correctly characterize him as an out-of-touch, establishment Republican who views many within the party's grassroots with disdain. These criticisms are generally justified.
Throughout Donald Trump's presidency, McConnell was attacked for his lack of loyalty to the president and failure to deliver on key pieces of legislation ranging from healthcare to immigration reform. He has also been heavily criticized for his lack of support to many GOP candidates, going so far as to deny them campaign funds if they do not align with his interests.
Known for his monotonous voice and uninspiring demeanor, he seemingly represents the antithesis of the populist and energetic coalition that is the modern Republican Party. Perhaps his greatest sin, at least among the most fervent Trump supporters, was his refusal to back claims of widespread election fraud in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
Yet despite his obvious flaws, McConnell will leave behind at least one remarkable legacy. During his tenure, he helped reshape the federal judiciary and wrestled control away from progressive judges with no regard for America's founding documents.
McConnell's first masterstroke was in 2016 following the sudden passing of legendary Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Following Scalia's death, President Obama moved to replace him with federal judge Merrick Garland, who now serves as Joe Biden's attorney general.
As Senate leader, McConnell successfully blocked Garland's nomination until after the 2016 presidential election in which Trump reigned victorious and Republicans maintained control of the Senate. This, in turn, allowed Trump to nominate Neil Gorsuch shortly after entering office, meaning that Scalia was not replaced with another Democratic Party lackey.
He later remarked that preventing Garland's ascension to the court was the "most consequential thing I have ever done."
When Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement in 2018, McConnell once again delivered. After Democrats realized that this could tilt the balance of power on the court, they went all out in smearing Trump's nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, with fabricated accusations of sexual assault. As his nomination appeared to be in doubt, McConnell helped convince various Republican holdouts to confirm him to the court.
When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in 2020, McConnell once again stepped into gear. While the left lost their minds at the prospect of a genuine conservative majority on the court, McConnell moved straight away to secure the confirmation of Trump's third and final nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. As a woman with an immaculate record of public service, even the most shameless Democrats found themselves unable to try and torpedo her confirmation.
As well as three Supreme Court judges, McConnell has also overseen the confirmation of over 200 lower court judges, the majority of whom serve as a vanguard against the left's ongoing war against constitutional liberties. Every single day, those judges are ruling on cases that are essential to preserving America's freedoms and without whom the country may be on an even darker path.
Mitch McConnell may not be the sexiest or most likable and he will undoubtedly be remembered negatively by many within the conservative movement. Yet were it not for McConnell's stalwart commitment to preserving the integrity of courts, Joe Biden would have been allowed to impose nationwide vaccine mandates, Roe v. Wade would never have been overturned, and owning a firearm would be illegal.
For that alone, all Americans should be eternally grateful.
