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Judicial Nominations

The Changing Supreme Court

Recent vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court have fueled widespread discussion about competing schools of Constitutional interpretation and the appropriate scope of Senatorial questioning during confirmation hearings. ACS has compiled a range of materials relating to judicial appointments for your reference. Further information on recent developments is available in the judicial nominations section of ACSBlog.
Recent Stories

A Discussion on the Nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court

On June 10, 2009, ACS hosted a panel discussion on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. Panelists from a variety of perspectives examined a range of questions about her nomination, such as: What qualifications and experience would Judge Sotomayor bring to the Court? What does Judge Sotomayor’s record tell us about what kind of Justice she might be? What can we expect from the confirmation process going forward? Finally, how should we expect a justice to apply the principles in our Constitution to today’s cases and controversies? 

 

The panel featured:

  • Wade Henderson, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
  • Cristina Rodríguez, Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
  • M. Edward Whelan III, President, Ethics and Public Policy Center
  • Moderator, Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor, Slate.com

 

 

 

A Citizen's Quick Guide to Learning How Nominations Touch Your Life

It is no longer enough for informed citizens to support the passage of laws that reflect their policy preferences. They must now also pay attention to the process by which judges are nominated and confirmed to ensure that those policy preferences are executed faithfully. While other executive and legislative enactments can be reversed, judges receive lifetime appointments. The decision to appoint or confirm a federal judge may shape policy for decades.

The Vital Role of Federal Courts in Modern American Government

Fearful of concentrated political power, the Founders established an intricate system of checks and balances in which unelected judges play a valid, vital, but often misunderstood, role in the federal policy arena.

Historical Background

As the role of the courts grows, so do nominations controversies; the President and the Senate become partners in the process

While the power of the federal judiciary to shape policy has been acknowledged for most of American history, the composition of the federal bench has become the subject of intense debate only in relatively recent times.

Discussion of Alito Nomination on 11/03/05

2005-03-11_Discussion of the Alito Nomination_Greenberger, Neas, Zirkin and Fein
 

On Thursday, November 3, 2005, ACS hosted a panel of distinguished progressive and conservative advocates and experts on judicial nominations at the National Press Club. Panelists discussed the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court, and specifically addressed the nomination process, Judge Alito’s record and his potential impact on the Court’s jurisprudence in a number of substantive areas.

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