Sen. Boozman blasts Biden’s tax proposals impact on ag sector
In Today’s Digital Newspaper
Market Focus:
• Retail spending fell 1.3% in May
• PPI-FD rose slightly more than expected in May
• Empire State Manufacturing falls more than expected.
• Goldman Sachs plans to relocate traders to Florida
• U.S. crude oil on Monday hit highest price in more than 2½ years
• Lumber prices sink below $1,000 for first time since March
• Bitcoin reached highest level in more than two weeks Monday
• Average age of U.S. vehicles rose to record 12.1 years last year
• Heat continue across portions of West and Plains, with record-breaking temps
• Ag demand update
• Cooler forecast keeps new-crop futures under pressure
• Cordonnier to see if cooler, wetter weather verifies before tweaking U.S. crop pegs
• No change to Cordonnier’s South American production forecasts
• NOPA’s crush expected to fall short of year-ago for May
• Warm June benefits German wheat crop
• Early cash cattle sales at higher prices
• Pork prices drop
Policy Focus:
• Vilsack announces more Covid aid funding, including $700 million for biofuels
• CFAP 2 payouts just over $13.7 billion
• Sen. Boozman: Farmers could face huge tax bills if President Biden succeeds
• Twenty-five states will halt some or all emergency unemployment benefits
Biden Administration Personnel:
• Senate sets vote on Biden’s EPA water nominee
China Update:
• China says radiation levels near Taishan nuclear plant normal
• Biden and NATO allies warned about China’s
• China sent 28 aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone
• House panels to focus on China competition
Trade Policy:
• U.S. and EU agree to suspend Airbus-Boeing trade fight for five years
Energy & Climate Change:
• Minnesota court upholds Line 3 pipeline approval
• Reports keep surfacing that EPA will announce a reduced RVO for RFS
Livestock, Food & Beverage Industry Update:
• Chobani launches Zero Sugar yogurt line
Coronavirus Update:
• U.K. delaying full reopening following upswing in cases of Delta coronavirus variant
Politics & Elections:
• McConnell signals GOP would block Biden Supreme Court pick in ’24
• Report: Every $ spent on political influence yields a $20 return in future earnings
• Biden to NATO: Republican Party is ‘vastly diminished’ after Jan. 6
Congress:
• Shipping Impact focus of hearing
• Hill aides expect infrastructure but not much else to pass
• Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson for powerful appeals court
MARKET FOCUS
Equities today: Global stock markets were mostly firmer overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward narrowly mixed openings. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose almost 1% by the close of trading, and South Korea’s Kospi Index gained 0.2%. China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.9% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index retreated 0.7%. European stocks are poised for their longest winning streak since 2019 as investors bet likely “transitory” inflation pressures will stay the U.S. Federal Reserve’s hand from signaling a shift in policy settings.
U.S. equities yesterday: The Dow fell 85.85 points, 0.25%, at 24,393.75, finishing near its highs for the session. The Nasdaq rose 104.72 points, 0.74%, at 14,174.14. The S&P 500 was up 7,71 points, 0.18%, at 4,255.15.
On tap today:
• U.S. retail sales for May are expected to fall 0.6% on the month following a flat reading in April. (8:30 a.m. ET) Update: Retail spending fell 1.3% in May.
• U.S. producer-price index for May is expected to rise 0.5% on the month following a 0.6% rise in April. (8:30 a.m. ET) Update: PPI-FD rose slightly more than expected in May, with an increase of 0.8% against expectations for a 0.5% rise. Core rate was up 0.7%, ahead of expectations for a rise of 0.5%. On an annual basis, the headline reading was up 6.6% (6.5% expected) while minus food and energy the increase was 4.8%, in line with expectations.
• Empire State Manufacturing at 8:30 am ET is expected to show a slight slowing in the region’s manufacturing activity. Update: Empire State Manufacturing falls more than expected. The regional update came in at 17.4 for June, down from a mark of 24.3 in May and a deeper contraction than the expectation it would come in at 22.5
• U.S. industrial production for May is expected to rise 0.6% and capacity utilization is expected to reach 75.1% following readings of 0.7% and 74.9% in April. (9:15 a.m. ET)
• Total U.S. inventories are seen dropping 0.1% in April following a 0.3% rise in March. (10:00 a.m. ET) 10 am ET
• Housing Market Index is looked to hold steady with May at 83. 10 a.m. ET
Goldman Sachs plans to relocate traders to Florida. The Wall Street investment company is in the early stages of moving more than 100 people — including veteran executives — to a new office in West Palm Beach, according to reports. As with other financiers flocking to the Sunshine State, Goldman executives are drawn to lower taxes and warmer weather.
Market perspectives:
• Outside markets: The US dollar index is higher as the euro and British pound have both weakened against the U.S. currency. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note is slightly weaker, trading just under 1.5% with a slightly firmer tone in most global government bond yields. Gold and silver futures are narrowly mixed, with gold nearly unchanged around $1,866 per troy ounce and silver weaker, trading around $27.74 per troy ounce.
• Price of U.S. crude oil hit $71.78 a barrel Monday, its highest price in more than 2½ years, and traders expect it to remain high. Meanwhile, analysts note that Wall Street’s surging investment in green energy has held down spending on oil extraction, which could depress supply even as demand is expected to remain strong.
• Crude oil futures have gained as concerns over Iran returning to oil exporting have faded. U.S. crude is trading around $71.90 per barrel and Brent around $73.75 per barrel. Crude prices firmed in Asian action with U.S. crude up 22 cents at $71.10 per barrel while Brent was up 22 cents at $73.08 per barrel.
• Lumber prices sink below $1,000 for the first time since March, now down 40% since May’s record high. Part of the reason for lumber’s recent skid is expanding supply. Futures for July delivery ended Monday at $996.20 per thousand board feet, down 42% from the record of $1,711.20 reached in early May. Futures have declined 14 of the past 15 trading days, the last two by the most allowed by exchange rules. Cash lumber prices are also crashing. Pricing service Random Lengths said Friday that its framing composite index, which tracks on-the-spot sales, dropped $122 to $1,324, its biggest ever weekly decline. Part of the reason for the dramatic price rise is that the U.S. relies on lumber from Canadian forests — a supply that has shrunk in recent years. In 2017, the Trump administration imposed a 24% tax on softwood lumber imported from Canada, and in response, several Canadian mills shut down.
• Bitcoin reached its highest level in more than two weeks Monday, trading as high as $41,046.77, buoyed by MicroStrategy completing its $500 million offering of junk bonds to buy bitcoin and by fresh comments from Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk. By Tuesday morning it had edged down to about $40,320.
• Average age of U.S. vehicles rose to a record 12.1 years last year, as high prices and better-quality cars and trucks led owners to hold onto older vehicles. But new vehicle sales have also been running at record or near-record pace for the past few years, which means households are adding to the number of vehicles they own.
• Weather outlook: Heat will continue across portions of the West and Plains, with record-breaking temperatures and fire danger in some areas... ...Rain and thunderstorms are forecast across Florida over the next couple of days with some isolated flash flooding possible.
• Ag demand: Egypt tendered to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers; payment will be at sight. South Korea’s Major Feedmill Group bought around 65,000 MT of animal feed wheat from optional origins. The Philippines tendered to buy a total of around 205,000 MT of milling wheat and animal feed wheat. Japan is seeking 109,062 MT of food-quality wheat from the United States, as well as 74,660 MT of the grain from Canada and 23,750 MT from Australia.
Items in Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today include:
• Cooler forecast keeps new-crop futures under pressure
• Cordonnier to see if cooler, wetter weather verifies before tweaking U.S. crop pegs
• No change to Cordonnier’s South American production forecasts
• NOPA’s crush expected to fall short of year-ago for May
• Warm June benefits German wheat crop
• Early cash cattle sales at higher prices
• Pork prices drop
POLICY FOCUS
— Next Covid farm aid round to include $700 million for biofuels. The Biden administration plans to provide $700 million in aid for biofuel producers in a new round of pandemic relief that also targets timber haulers, dairy farmers and food suppliers that purchased masks, gloves and other gear for workers. “This is a next step in expanding the process of pandemic assistance,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a telephone interview with Bloomberg. “It’s not the end. There will probably be additional announcements over the next couple of months.”
USDA announced the aid Tuesday amid reports the administration is considering ways to give relief to oil refiners on requirements they mix ethanol and other biofuels with fuel, a step fought by groups representing Midwestern farmers. Vilsack declined to comment on the reports, citing the Environmental Protection Agency’s jurisdiction over the program (see related item below).
Large meatpacking companies won’t be eligible for the personal-protective equipment (PPE) grants, a USDA official said. Those disbursements will be reserved for small- and medium-sized meatpackers, the official said.
Vilsack said the new round of aid is targeted at producers who didn’t benefit or weren’t adequately covered in prior rounds. That includes $200 million for timber harvesters and haulers, approximately $1 billion for dairy producers and $700 million in grants to assist with the cost of PPE and other measures to help meatpackers, specialty-crop growers and seafood-industry workers. “For some, it may make the difference whether or not they can make that bank payment at the end of the year,” Vilsack said.
The aid comes from funding earmarked for agricultural producers in the $1.9 trillion Biden Covid-19 relief package Congress passed in March.
Details:
- $200 million: Small, family-owned timber harvesting and hauling businesses
- $700 million: Biofuels producers
- Support for dairy farmers and processors:
— $400 million: The new Dairy Donation Program to address food insecurity and mitigate food waste and loss
— Additional pandemic payments targeted to dairy farmers that have demonstrated losses that have not been covered by previous pandemic assistance
— Approximately $580 million: Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for small and medium farms
- Assistance for poultry and livestock producers left out of previous rounds of pandemic assistance:
— Contract growers of poultry
— Livestock and poultry producers forced to euthanize animals during the pandemic (March 1, 2020, through December 26, 2020)
- $700 million: Pandemic Response and Safety Grants for PPE and other protective measures to help specialty crop growers, meat packers and processors, seafood industry workers, among others
- Up to $20 million: Additional organic cost share assistance, including for producers who are transitioning to organic
Comments: Vilsack today appears before the Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee and another example of how hearings with Cabinet members can help release lingering announcements.
— CFAP 2 payouts just over $13.7 billion. Payments approved under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) are now at $13.71 billion, up from $13.69 billion the prior week. Acreage-based payments are at $6.27 billion, livestock at $3.45 billion, sales commodities are at $2.72 billion, dairy at $1.22 billion and eggs/broilers are at $61.84 billion. CFAP 1 payments were little changed at $10.58 billion.
— Sen. Boozman: Farmers could face huge tax bills if President Biden succeeds in raising capital gains tax rates and eliminating a loophole for inherited assets such as farmland. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, in a commentary item (link) published by Fox News, says the proposals are unpopular in farm country and some Democrats in Congress, including the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. They say family-owned farms and small businesses must be protected from the potential tax increases.
Difference of opinion. The White House says heirs would not have to pay capital gains taxes if they keep the farm or business in operation. A USDA analysis says 98% of farm estates would not owe any taxes in that instance and tax liability for the remainder would be on their non-farm assets. But in the commentary, Boozman said the administration was “indifferent” to farmers’ concerns about changes in the tax code. “Agricultural farmland values have increased by an average of more than 360%, or nearly $2,500 an acre, since 1990,” wrote Boozman. “That means farmers and ranchers likely would face steep capital gains taxes upon sale of an inherited asset if the step-up in basis is eliminated.”
A major issue is the step-up in basis, a feature of the tax code for decades, which says assets will be appraised at current value when inherited, rather than their gain in worth since they were acquired, which significantly reduces tax liability. The loophole “allows the wealthiest Americans to entirely escape tax on their wealth by passing it down to heirs,” said the White House. Biden says his plan would tax wealth at the same rate as income from work. Elimination of stepped-up basis combined with a higher tax rate on capital gains would increase federal tax revenue by $113 billion over 10 years, said a Penn Wharton analysis, much less than some estimates. “Avenues for legal tax avoidance limit the revenue-raising potential of capital gains taxation,” it said.
But House Agriculture Chairman David Scott (D-Ga.) said early this month that he has “serious concerns” that the tax proposals “could hurt our family farmers, ranchers and small businesses. In particular, the ‘step-up in basis’ is a critical tool enabling family farming operations to continue generation to generation.”
— Conservation Reserve Program deadlines announced. The final day to offer land under the “general” enrollment for the Conservation Reserve is July 23 and the signup for the CRP Grasslands provision will run July 12 to Aug. 20. Link for details.
— Twenty-five states will halt some or all emergency unemployment benefits, with many Republican governors blaming the programs for a shortage of workers in many industries as businesses reopen. The New York Times has a handy table that shows which states are cutting off pandemic unemployment benefits:
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PERSONNEL
— Senate sets vote on Biden’s EPA water nominee. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) filed for cloture yesterday to advance the nomination of Radhika Fox to be the EPA’s assistant administrator for water. The procedural move clears the way for a full Senate vote on Fox. If confirmed, Fox will take the helm of one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s biggest departments. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved Fox on May 26 by a 14-6 margin.
Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday by voice vote confirmed Michal Ilana Freedhoff to be assistant administrator for toxic substances of the Environmental Protection Agency.
CHINA UPDATE
— China says radiation levels near Taishan nuclear plant normal. China said that radiation levels near the Taishan nuclear project in Guangdong province were normal despite media reports of leaks at one of the plant’s reactors. French utility EDF said that it was investigating the situation after CNN reported that EDF’s Framatome unit that designed the reactors was warning of an “imminent radiological threat” at the project. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said there were no signs of any abnormalities. “So far China’s nuclear power plants have maintained a good operating record, with no incidents affecting the environment and public health,” Zhao said. EDF indicated Monday that fuel rods supplied by Framatome could be the problem. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that at present there was “no indication that a radiological incident occurred.”
— President Biden and NATO allies warned about China’s influence and called Russia a threat to European and Atlantic security, as the U.S. leader sought Monday to marshal democratic nations against autocracies. Discussion took place over how to balance new threats from China against more traditional ones from Russia and how to address threats in cyber and space.
— China sent 28 aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the largest incursion to date, Taiwan said.
— House panels to focus on China competition. A House panel is set to begin work today on its version of legislation to strengthen U.S. research and development in answer to China’s economic rise, aiming to come up with a bill that can mesh with a Senate-passed measure and be sent to Biden by August. Meanwhile, the House Science Committee will consider two bills that would bolster research funding at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy and will form the basis for the House measure.
TRADE POLICY
— U.S. and the European Union announced a five-year truce in their 17-year dispute over aircraft subsidies to Airbus SE and Boeing Co. In 2019 the long-running disagreement led the allies to impose tariffs on $11.5 billion of each other’s exports. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement before a U.S./EU summit with President Joe Biden. A similar dispute exists between the U.S. and U.K. with a four-month suspension of tariffs also announced in March, but there has been no word that dispute has been resolved.
The deal has also been driven by the emergence of Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, or Comac, as a competitor to the two planemakers. “There’s no question that the rise of China’s aircraft industry is... on everybody’s proverbial radar,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice-President Marjorie Chorlins said Monday, noting the country’s “heavy subsidization” of its industries and threats posed by its state-driven economic model.
ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE
— Minnesota court upholds Line 3 pipeline approval. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the decision to approve the Line 3 pipeline project that seeks to replace an aging pipeline that moves Alberta oil sands crude oil to the U.S. The court ruled the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had addressed concerns about potential oil spills in the Lake Superior watershed when it approved permits for the project for pipeline owner Enbridge. Sections of the pipeline in Canada, North Dakota, and Wisconsin are complete and the project is 60% finished in Minnesota. Enbridge is hoping to put the pipeline in service by the fourth quarter of this year, a move that should roughly double its capacity to 760,000 barrels per day (bpd). Age and corrosion mean the pipeline currently carries less crude than it was designed for when it was built in 1968.
The Minnesota Supreme Court could still hear an appeal of the decision.
— Reports keep surfacing that EPA will announce a reduced RVO for RFS. Although not confirmed, reports in the biofuels sector signal that EPA perhaps this Thursday will announce a Renewable Volume Obligation of 14 billion to 14.5 billion gallons, below the 15.0 billion gallons President Joe Biden signaled during his run for the presidency. The rumor mill also signals that if this is the case, the EPA may pledge no waivers for the RFS.
Background. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Aug. 25, 2020, issued a statement describing his commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard and criticizing the Trump Administration’s administration of the program. “Instead of standing with those who till our land and sow our fields, we have a president who has sold out our farmers by undercutting the Renewable Fuel Standard with the granting of waivers to Big Oil,” Biden said. “Those waivers severely cut ethanol production, costing farmers income and ethanol plant workers their jobs. Now, President Trump refuses to announce the 2021 renewable fuel production levels until after the election, leaving farmers concerned of further cuts to production. The Renewable Fuel Standard marks our bond with our farmers and our commitment to a thriving rural economy. Donald Trump doesn’t respect that connection, and he’s thrown it away to the detriment of generations of producers across the Midwest and around the country—many of whom put their trust in him four years ago.
“The Obama-Biden Administration kept our word to farmers,” he continued. “A Biden-Harris administration will promote and advance renewable energy, ethanol, and other biofuels to help rural America and our nation’s farmers and will honor the critical role the renewable fuel industry plays in supporting the rural economy and the leadership role American agriculture will play in our fight against climate change.”
USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack in August 2020: “The Trump administration has failed to abide by the RFS, has granted waivers to large oil companies that don’t merit them, and has failed to provide additional assistance and help during the coronavirus pandemic to this industry,” Vilsack said. “I think there are steep concerns about precisely what they (Trump administration) will do with the RVOs if they are allowed to essentially push them beyond the election.” Vilsack at the time said the sporadic harm and benefit cycle faced by the biofuels industry in recent years is not conducive to long-term planning, and said the Democratic ticket offers a more stable future for the sector. “The Biden/Harris administration will live up to the responsibilities of the RFS,” Vilsack pledged. “They see this is a promise to the industry, and they understand and appreciate that what’s necessary is consistency and what’s necessary is stability and certainty. Right now, we don’t have that stability, we don’t have that certainty, we don’t have that consistency.”
January 2021: A group of six democratic senators sent a letter President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 11 urging his administration to support U.S. farmers and the biofuels industry by restoring the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard. “The outgoing administration undermined the [RFS], which was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, diversify our fuels, strengthen our national security and drive economic opportunity in America’s heartland,” they wrote. “It is critical that the integrity of this policy be restored and that biofuels be part of your efforts to combat climate change and reduction greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s largest emitting sector.” In order to achieve those goals, the senators urged the Biden administration to swiftly take four steps. First, the senators ask Biden to direct the U.S. EPA to adopt the Tenth Circuit Court decision on small refinery exemptions (SREs) nationwide and swiftly reject any pending and future SRE petitions that do not meet the standards set forth by the court. Second, they ask him to swiftly publish the 2021 renewable volume obligations (RVOs). Third, the senators urge Biden to approve pending pathway applications for corn kernel fiber ethanol and update the EPA’s biofuels emissions modeling. Fourth, when reaffirming U.S. commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, the senators ask Biden to include biofuels. “We strongly support your administration’s goal of addressing the climate crisis and supporting our nation’s farmers,” the senators wrote. “Ending the policy abuses that were prevalent during the outgoing administration early on in your term will help to renew commitments to rural communities and drive economic resiliency in the heartland. In addition to the policy recommendations above, we urge your administration to begin consideration of the RFS “set” for RVO volumes for 2023 and beyond, guided by the important role that biofuels must play in meaningful and rapid climate action.”
— EPA to address E15 fuel issues. The unified agenda from the Biden administration included several biofuel activities EPA intends to address on the regulatory front. Among the issues EPA said it was planning to address included the E15 fuel—15% ethanol/85% gasoline. The agenda noted the notice of proposed rulemaking released in January by the Trump administration which proposed options to labeling of E15 fuel dispensers. “First, EPA proposed to modify the text and color of the E15 label,” the agency noted. “Second, EPA proposed to remove the E15 label requirement entirely.” The proposed reg also required future underground storage tank (UST) equipment to be compatible with higher blends of ethanol and provides additional options for demonstrating compatibility of existing UST systems with higher blends of ethanol.
LIVESTOCK, FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
— Chobani launches Zero Sugar yogurt line. Chobani is introducing Chobani Zero Sugar, a new yogurt line that is sweetened with non-GMO monk fruit and allulose instead of artificial sweeteners. The sugar-free, lactose-free yogurt features six live and active cultures, including probiotics, and comes in four flavors: vanilla, strawberry, blueberry and mixed berry.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
— Summary: Global cases of Covid-19 are at 176,296,572 with 3,813,008 deaths, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. case count is at 33,474,764 with 599,945 deaths. The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center said that there have been 310,645,827 doses administered, 144,919,339 have been fully vaccinated, or 44.2% of the U.S. population.
— U.K. is delaying a full reopening in England following an upswing in cases of the Delta coronavirus variant, which is considerably more transmissible than older strains of the virus and that infection is more likely to result in hospitalization. But data on vaccines are far more promising. British data show that vaccines offer somewhat diminished protection against infection with the variant but substantial protection against severe illness, especially after the full two doses.
POLITICS & ELECTIONS
— McConnell signals GOP would block Biden Supreme Court pick in ’24. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled Monday that Republicans, if they win back control of the upper chamber, wouldn’t advance a Supreme Court nominee if a vacancy occurred in 2024, the year of the next presidential election.
— Every dollar spent on political influence yields a $20 return in future earnings, according to a new study (link) of lobbying, PAC and trade group spending at more than 2,750 companies. This return is much higher than money spent on R&D or advertising, the study found. “No one has any interest in getting this out,” said Shivaram Rajgopal of Columbia Business School, one of the study’s authors. He said he believed that more disclosure would help everyone better understand how companies and politicians operate.
— Biden to NATO: Republican Party is ‘vastly diminished’ after Jan. 6. President Biden said Monday that he’s assured NATO allies that the Republican party is “vastly diminished,” and they need not fear a repeat of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “The Republican Party is vastly diminished in numbers, the leadership of the Republican Party is fractured, and the Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people,” he said at a press conference in Brussels.
CONGRESS
— Shipping Impact focus of hearing. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee will hold a hearing on today to discuss the impacts of shipping container shortages, delays, and increased demand on the North American supply chain. Agriculture shipments have been particularly affected by the container situation, with the Federal Maritime Commission also investigating the issue under its Fact Finding 29 effort.
— Hill aides expect infrastructure but not much else to pass. Roll Call reports (link) according to its “latest Capitol Insiders Survey of congressional staffers,” Republicans and Democrats agree “that Congress will pass an infrastructure bill, and most of them expect it will be close to the $1 trillion plan Biden offered to the Republicans’ negotiator, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, on June 2.” But, “aides are doubtful there will be much of significance beyond it.” For the survey, Roll Call “emailed the staffers on June 7 and they had till June 9 to respond. Of those who did, 60 were Republicans, 44 Democrats, and two independents.”
— Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson for powerful appeals court. Jackson, one of the president’s most prominent judicial nominees, will take the seat for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, an influential court with a docket filled with cases challenging government rules and regulations.