For the first time in more than a decade, federal appellate judges appointed by Democratic presidents "considerably outnumber" judges appointed by Republican presidents, according to the New York Tines.
President Barack Obama salutes as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, in Washington. (Image source: AP/Evan Vucci)
Democratic appointees who hear cases full time now hold a majority of seats on nine of the 13 United States Courts of Appeals, the Times said, adding that when Obama began his presidency, only one court had more full-time judges nominated by a Democrat.
The reversal increased since late 2013 after Democrats stripped Republicans of their ability to filibuster the president’s nominees, the Times added, calling it "a little-noticed shift with far-reaching consequences for the law and President Obama’s legacy."
More from the Times:
The shift, one of the most significant but unheralded accomplishments of the Obama era, is likely to have ramifications for how the courts decide the legality of some of the president’s most controversial actions on health care, immigration and clean air. Since today’s Congress has been a graveyard for legislative accomplishment, these judicial confirmations are likely to be among its most enduring acts.
Read the entire New York Times article here.
(H/T: Drudge Report)
