Obama Nominations Shift Appeals Courts To The Left

Halfway into President Barack Obama’s second term, the 49 judicial appointments he has made thus far have led to a dramatic Democratic shift in federal appeals courts. In 2008, as former President George W. Bush left office, judges appointed by Republicans made up the majority at 10 of the 13 courts of appeal, two were evenly split, and one had a majority appointed by Democrats. In just under six years, Obama’s appointments have brought the number of courts with a majority appointed by Democrats to nine, with just  four maintaining Republican-appointee majorities. This constitutes “a huge shift in a very short period of time,” University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur D. Hellman told The Washington Post. According to Hellman, it means judges appointed by Democrats “have the ability to control every important case if they wish to” in those nine courts.