President Obama Can’t Blame Republicans for Lack of Nominations
As Jeffrey Toobin asks where the judges are, this Houston Chronicle article from last week confirms that President Obama is dragging his feet at filling judicial vacancies and nominating U.S. Attorneys.
The stats tell the story. By this point in their administrations Presidents Clinton and W. Bush had nominated 75 and 66 U.S. Attorneys respectively. Obama has nominated only 42.Of the 42 that have been nominated, 31 have been confirmed.
The article notes that the failure to fill the slots has negative consequences:
“There’s no real boss. It means what will be done is the routine. You need a guy who can move the team, and he has to be on the president’s team,”
In Mississippi there have been no rumblings of political fights with respect to the vacant U.S. Attorney positions or the vacant U.S. District Court position and 5th Circuit Court of Appeals position. Blaming Republicans for the slow pace at filling slots rings hallow when the administrations is going so slowly at making nominations and 75% of those nominated have been confirmed.
Mississippi Litigation Review
1/21/10
Magnolia Tribune
