GOP still blocking nominees, Obama slow to nominate
(NEWSER) - The partisan standoff on judges is starting threaten our ability to administer justice. Nearly 1 in 8 federal judgeships are currently vacant, the LA Times reports, as Senate Republicans block many of President Obama’s nominees. Just 47% of Obama’s nominees have been approved—the lowest rate in 30 years by a wide margin (84% for Clinton, 79% for W, 93% for Reagan). “Their objections often are unrelated to a specific nominee,” complains an assistant attorney general, who warns that at this rate, half of the nation's 876 posts could be vacant within a decade. More»