The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday limited the American Bar Association's decades-old role in rating candidates for life-tenured positions in the federal judiciary, curtailing its ability to vet new nominations by Republican President Donald Trump.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will end the American Bar Association’s role in vetting federal judges, escalating Republican efforts to sideline the legal group over claims of political bias.

Trump also nominated Kyle Dudek, John Guard, Jordan E. Pratt, and Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe to serve as Judges on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and Ed Artau to serve as a Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.