Introduction
President Bush's first 11 nominees for federal appeals court
judgeships were presented at the White House on May 9: bottom row, from left:
Dennis Shedd, Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owens; middle: Jeffrey Sutton, Edith
Brown Clement, Roger Gregory, John Roberts Jr.; top row: Terrence Boyle,
Michael McConnell, Deborah Cook, Barrington Parker Jr. (AFP/Paul J. Richards)
|
President Bush's initial choices for federal judgeships have
been under fire since their nominations were first announced in May. Bush says
his nominees are outstanding lawyers or judges who share his philosophy of
judicial restraint. Liberal interest groups, however, say some of them are
conservative judicial activists who want to limit the power of Congress in
civil rights, environmental protection and other areas. Prospects for Senate
confirmation of Bush's judges are uncertain now that the Democrats control
the chamber. Democratic leaders on the Judiciary Committee say they will block
the appointment of conservative “ideologues” to the bench. But GOP
senators and conservative groups say Democrats are stalling and trying to
impose a political “litmus test” on federal judges.
|
|
