To follow that path, I’m afraid liberal presidents would have had to time travel back a few decades and appoint lefty judges who are as unscrupulous and corrupt as Trump’s appointees.

Yeah true, but the problem with being a judge that tries to keep acting like a real judge following what you thought were the rules now is that you are essentially resigning as a judge and handing all of your power over to Trump's judges. They can either fight back or let their system die forever.