President Obama has appointed more diversity in the judicial pool
By Roger Caldwell
Many Americans and especially African Americans think judges and courts don’t matter in 2014. Most folks think that voting is only significant for candidates, and the office they win, such as mayor, commissioner, or state/federal representative.
But most federal judge appointments are for life, and their ideology and worldview can determine if a family member or friend will live or die. When the majority of judges were white, upper middle class men, they made conservative decisions based on their lifestyle. In the early civil rights period, discrimination was the law of the land, and the courts supported these positions.
As more minority judges were appointed to the federal courts and elected to the lower courts by registered voters the thinking changed. Courts began to interrupt the constitution fairly, and there was diversity in the legal system. There are now women and African Americans appointed as judges and there are more minorities arguing cases as lawyers.
Judges are appointed by presidents and governors, and elected by registered voters. The legal and judicial system is complicated, but voting is a voice that can change the positions on a local, county, state and federal level. Most Americans when they vote for a judge, they close their eyes and make a choice. Many times they have no idea of the judges’ position on any issue, and if the decisions they make would be good for the community.
In an article entitled, Why Courts Matter, the importance of the president making judicial appointments is explained. “But currently, judicial seats are vacant because of unprecedented obstruction in Washington. President Obama’s judicial nominees have been waiting far longer for a vote than other president’s nominees. The result is a backlog of cases that undermine our system of justice and makes it difficult for more Americans to have their cases heard in a timely manner.”
Under Present Obama this is the first time our judicial pool has been so diverse. In the senate there are 63 judicial nominees and 27 are women, 12 African Americans, five Hispanics, four Asian Americans, three openly gay, and come Native American. There is no president in the history of the country who has nominated such a diverse group of judges, which resembles the nation they serve.
Without a doubt, President Obama is making a difference in the country in everything that he does. In order for a judge to be confirmed, the selection process is exhaustive, long, and involved. The President gets the ball rolling and the senators of the particular state are also involved. Before the nominees can be confirmed the home senators of the state send a blue slip to the senate judiciary committee to conduct a hearing.
Everyone knows that Washington is broken and split, and many of the judges’ confirmations are being held up because many of the President’s candidates are minority. The conservatives are doing everything in their power to stop the change that is taking place.
In 2014, every election is important and everyone must be knowledgeable about who they are voting for. Local judges that are voted by the voters must be held accountable for the decision they make. Courts and judges matter because their ideology and worldview determine their interpretation of laws.
African Americans and minorities can no longer vote for a judge and have no idea of their ideology and worldview. Voters must be smart and sophisticated because each vote counts. We can make a difference in the country if we read, ask questions, and open up our mouths.
