Judicial merit is necessary but never decisive in federal appointments.

Evidence

What does not change from administration to administration is the political character of the process. As a rule, presidents appoint judges who are politically active members of their own party. Merit certainly plays a role in the appointment of federal judges. Legal competence is necessary for serious consideration, but such competence is not by itself determinative; and in the choice among qualified candidates, political considerations necessarily tip the balance. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 460

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Sitting justices rarely change views, so screening nominees works — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 540; Presidents differ sharply in how much ideological screening they apply to judicial nominees — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 493; A Supreme Court vacancy is the president’s primary lever for moving the Court — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 362 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Merit selection transforms rather than removes politics from judicial selection #corroborates (0.78) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 439
• No judicial selection system fully eliminates political influence #corroborates (0.75) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 498