FEDERAL JUDICIARY
Tuesday May 06, 2008 08:54 PM
The Federal Judiciary - Federal Judges, Magistrates, and the administrative support functions are established by the Constitution and the supporting statutes created by the Congress through the usual legislative process. Federal Judges are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. They are appointed for life and retire at full pay. Judges' compensation cannot be reduced once appointed. A Federal Judge is removed from office by Impeachment from the House and conviction on the Impeachment by the Senate. It requires conduct at the felony level to even consider Impeachment. This page covers matters related to all Federal Judicial appointees except Supreme Court Justices. Details of Supreme Court appointed are found at: Supreme Court 5-8-08
During the 2008 election cycle, Judicial appointments have moved slowly through the confirmation process. There are two distinct policies causing this process to be slow, with only a few confirmations. The first is the policy of the Democratic controlled Senate against what it considers ultra-conservative nominations of George W. Bush. The second is the optimistic hope of the Democrats that they will prevail in the 2008 elections and as a result, be able to appoint more federal judges when they take office in January, 2009. This is a typical experience in the history of lame duck administrations throughout the history of the United States.
The conservative movement, as incorporated in the Republican Party in the 20th Century has always consider control or major influence in the judiciary, particularly the federal judiciary, a core plank in its political platform. That movement consider Brown v. School District, the Supreme Court decision that compelled the integration of the public school system as a disaster. It grew from the deep influence of the south in that movement. Roe v. Wade, another Supreme Court decision which make a woman's right to abortion national policy. That movement saw the power of the sexual issue implicit in that decision and used it as a lever in the argument for political control of the Judiciary. Second Amendment issues in the Constitution - matters related to guns and gun control - were added to the Conservative agenda - even though funded substantially by gun weapon manufacturers.
The bottom line of that setting is the premier use of Judicial issues in political campaigns. That policy has caused more than a half century of genuinely awful Presidential politics and endless Senate confirmation struggles over Judicial nominations of Presidents of both political parties.
5-8-08 GOP candidate John McCain is continuing the "judicial" issue in the 2008 Presidential election. There is nothing new in the issue - it is identical to the party's use of that issue for sixty years.
Copyright 2008 John Isaacson. .