THE MAKE-UP OF THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY

By the time President Bush's term expires in 2009, about 1 in 3 federal judges will be selected by him. Bush is expected to fill about 200 more judicial vacancies before his term expires, bringing the total number of Bush judges to more than 400. That is considerably more than those appointment under Clinton, which number 350.

There are currently 207 Bush selections among the 1,267 sitting federal judges, some of whom might well be around until the middle of the century. More than 100 judges still sitting on the court were nominated more than 30 years ago, by President Richard Nixon and his predecessors.

Overall, 743 of the sitting judges -- about 6 in 10 -- were nominated by Republicans, and 526 federal judges were nominated by Democrats, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

What does this mean to the average citizen? It means, generally, that the courts are lobsided. While is untrue that most judges are "activists" in that they will not follow established law, the more recent nomminees have a track record of wanting to overturn settled law. Why should the anti-family faction want the Prisilla Owens and her ilk so badly? (The self-styled "pro-life" are fundamentality against the ability of individuals to take actions that affect their family). They are blinded by the possibility that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, and ignore all the other laws that flow from the same origin, namely the right of individuals to make decisions that are core to creating their lives, such as choosing professions, who can marry who, what state to live, and so on. Will those also be ripe to be overturned? Are we to return to days of segregation and back alley abortions? Apparently so.