Presidents can use lower court appointments to advance political agendas

Evidence

Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan altered the traditional politics of judicial selection through concerted efforts to advance their political agendas through the appointment of district court and appeals court judges. Their success shows that presidents who feel strongly about lower court judgeships can have a real impact, even in an area traditionally dominated by the Senate. To a considerable extent, Presidents George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) and George W. Bush followed Reagan’s lead in their appointments, and President Bill Clinton (1993– 2001) followed Carter’s. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 477

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the course’s study of how political actors shape the judiciary; parallels later material on senatorial courtesy and selection politics. — connects to: Senate initiations and presidential involvement in appointments vary by court level — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 650; Judicial appointments extend presidential influence far beyond a term — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 511; A justice’s rulings can depart radically from what the appointing president expected — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 752 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Senate initiations and presidential involvement in appointments vary by court level #expands (0.85) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 650
• A justice’s rulings can depart radically from what the appointing president expected #complicates (0.85) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 752
• Judicial appointments extend presidential influence far beyond a term #expands (0.84) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 511
• Judicial appointments extend a party’s influence beyond its control of elected branches. #expands (0.80) — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 341
• Constitutional design gives the president and Senate shared federal judicial appointment power #qualifies (0.76) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 646
• Court hierarchies bind lower courts to higher courts’ rulings #complicates (0.72) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 257