Responses in the LA Times to Op-ed on Judicial Confirmation Process

The LA Times published a couple of letters responding to my op-ed with Sonya.

November 20, 2004 Saturday

Home Edition

SECTION: CALIFORNIA; Metro; Editorial Pages Desk; Part B; Pg. 20

HEADLINE: High Court Drama

BODY:

"Breaking the Siege in the Judge War," Commentary, Nov. 16:
John Lott and Sonya Jones write that the confirmation rate for President Bush's judicial nominees is historically low. In particular, they claim that only 69% of Bush's nominees to federal appeals courts and 33% of his nominees to the District of Columbia Appeals Court have been confirmed. The facts, however, are quite different: Bush has made 210 nominations to federal judgeships and 200 have beenconfirmed, a 95% confirmation rate. It is hard to know how Lott and Jones came up with their figures.

William Zame
Los Angeles

*

So, let me understand the argument: If Democrats simply roll over and play
dead when President Bush sends his judicial nominations to the Senate, the
so-called logjam will end.

My goodness! Why didn't the Democrats think of that?

Richard Doolittle
Grand Terrace

First, the numbers that we discussed on the issue of confirmation rates explicitly noted they involved Appeals Court judges, not all judges. Appeals Court judges are much more important than District Court judges and that is where the problems are occurring. Second, if you do look at all judges, Bush had 220 nominations of which 192 (or 87 percent) have been confirmed.