About our courts

One major campaign issue last year was the need to improve our federal courts. I wrote about this subject several times on this blog. Approaching the first quarter of the Obama presidency, his scorecard is tepid and disappointing.

On Jan. 20, 2009, the new president inherited 55 vacancies on the federal courts, which would be understaffed if all the seats were filled. As of Nov. 30, 2009, there were 98 vacancies, 20 on the circuit (appellate) courts and 78 on the district (trial) courts.

So far, President Barack Obama has nominated one Supreme Court justice, 12 circuit court judges and 14 district court judges. So far the Supreme Court was filled, as were three circuit court and six district court seats. Pending are nine circuit court seats and eight district court judgeships.

That is a pathetic performance, particularly considering the large majority of Democrats in the Senate. The president has not nominated extremist judges — quite the contrary.

The president has much on his plate, no doubt, but this is an easy one. Get the nominations made and assign someone to push them through a ready and waiting Senate. There is no excuse for this inattention to the judicial branch of his, our, government.

NOTE: These data were provided by the Alliance for Justice, the Washington, D.C.-based organization that monitors judicial appointments.

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