Tension Mounts Over U.S. Bench Vacancies
The National Law Journal reports:
Republican senators are anxious about 28 judicial nominees awaiting confirmation, the 46 total vacancies and the dwindling time left in President Bush’s term to get more of his candidates on the federal bench.
Of the 28 nominees waiting approval by the Senate, 10 are appellate court nominees and 18 are trial court selections.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in particular, is in the political crosshairs. With five of its 15 seats vacant and the current members of the court divided evenly with five Republican and five Democratic appointees, the president who fills those vacancies could shift the philosophical balance of the court.