Dec. 11, 2008 (World News Trust) -- The most lasting change of the Obama Presidency may be a changed Federal Appeals Court split between Democrats and Republicans.
After 12 years of Reagan and Bush 41, the Republicans controlled 64 percent of appellate judgeships in 1993, which Clinton reduced to 42 percent by 2001, and which eith years of Bush43 pushed back up to 56 percent of U.S. GOP.
After Congress passes a bill to create 14 appellate judgeships, Obama will during his first term be able to reduce GOP Appeals Court appointees to 42 percent, and move Democrats to 58 percent.
Obama would also have the new 52 federal district judgeships to appoint during his first term. And the location of those changed majorities is of interest. There are four vacancies on the 4th Circuit, now with a GOP six-to-five edge. The GOP on this Court ruled that rape victims can not sue their attackers, and never sees a problem.
Bush national security rules for "terrorism defendants" and so-called "enemy combatants."
The 2nd Circuit is now a six-six GOP/DEM split but the judgeship bill gives Democrats two more seats to fill. The 3rd Circuit is also divided six-six, but has two vacancies and two more positions possibly coming in the judgeship bill. The 1st Circuit would pick up a narrow Democratic majority, and the Democratic majority in the 9th would expand.
While GOP would still at the end of four years control six other circuits, the control of the Southern-based 11th Circuit would be less overwhelming, and the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District, which hears appeals of key executive branch rulings and prominent criminal cases, such as the recent corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, would have moved from its current six GOP to three Democrats, with two vacancies, to an even split.
During the Bush43 years we lost the opportunity for two Supreme Court nominations that could have moved our far right Court toward the middle, so let's hope Obama does not get talked into "centrist" judges as too many of these turn out to be leaning to the right as they favor the rich and corporate over the government, and seem to favor the rich, the corporate and the government over individual rights that could increase our power in confrontaions with the rich, the corporate and the government.
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William Chirolas brings 40 years of real-world business experience in local, state, national, and international tax, pensions, and finance to the world of blogging. A graduate of MIT, he calls the Boston area home, except when visiting kids and grandkids.