Presidents and the Judiciary

I.    Selection Considerations

      A.     Professional Competence

      B.     Policy Preferences

      C.     Political and Personal Reward

      D.     Pursuit of Political Reward

II.        Federal Appointments

    A.    Formal Requirements (Current Vacancies)

    B.    Appointments Requiring Senate Confirmation

    C.    Supreme Court

        1.    Presidential Involvement

        2.    American Bar Association (Committee on the Federal Judiciary)

        3.    U.S. Senate (Senate Judiciary Committee)

        4.    Interest Groups

        5.    Media Focus

    D.    Lower Federal Courts

        1.    Office of Attorney General

        2.    U.S. Senate Nominations (blue slips)

III.        Impeachments  (federal impeachments; Clinton's Impeachment)  

IV.    Presidential Influences on Federal Courts

    A.    Role of Solicitor General

    B.    Presidential Inspired Legislation

    C.    Enforcement of Court Decisions   

    D.    Presidential Overreaching

        1.    Franklin Roosevelt's Court Packing Plan

        2.    Harry Truman's Seizure of the Steel Mills

V.    Judicial Checks on Presidential Action

    A.    Marbury v. Madison (1803)

    B.    Ex parte Milligan (1866)

    C.    U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

Key Web Sites

Judicial Branch of the US:  Resources

History of Federal Judiciary

Courts of the Federal Judiciary

American Judicature Society:  Fixing the Problem