The Missing Circuit Court Nominees

One of the mysteries of the Obama administration, discussed a bit but not really resolved at an excellent panel on judicial issues I attended this morning, is why he’s been so slow to put names forward to fill vacancies on the federal courts. It’s true that there’s been a fair amount of obstruction, but the obstruction has been facilitated by the White House’s lackadaisical attitude toward the issue.

Part of what I wonder here is isn’t the failing a broader institutional one. After all, Democrats had eight years of George W Bush to draw up lists of potential nominees — it should have been possible for the Senate caucus, in consultation with outside groups, to produce on day one a list of well-vetted candidates that the Majority Leader and the Judiciary Chairman were prepared to go to bat for.