|
O'Reilly Lie: GOP Does Control Judicial
Branch
Media Matters
eptember 22, 2005
On his nationally syndicated radio show, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly falsely
asserted that "the Republicans don't have control of the judicial branch." In
fact, Republican appointees to the federal judiciary outnumber judges appointed
by Democratic presidents: Republican presidents have appointed a majority of
the currently active federal judges, including six of the eight current Supreme
Court justices and majorities on 10 of the 13 federal courts of appeals.
According to a database maintained by the progressive, nonprofit Alliance for
Justice, Republican appointees occupy 99 of the 167 currently filled appellate
judgeships (59 percent). They also occupy 449 of the 815 currently filled
circuit and district court seats (55 percent).
The following listing by circuit court further demonstrates the extent to
which Republican appointees control the appellate courts:
|
Court
|
Active circuit court judges appointed by
|
Circuit court
vacancies
|
|
Republican
|
Democrat
|
|
D.C. Circuit
|
7
|
4
|
0
|
|
1st Circuit
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
|
2nd Circuit
|
6
|
7
|
0
|
|
3rd Circuit
|
6
|
6
|
2
|
|
4th Circuit
|
9
|
4
|
2
|
|
5th Circuit
|
12
|
4
|
1
|
|
6th Circuit
|
8
|
6
|
2
|
|
7th Circuit
|
8
|
3
|
0
|
|
8th Circuit
|
9
|
2
|
0
|
|
9th Circuit
|
8
|
16
|
4
|
|
10th Circuit
|
7
|
5
|
0
|
|
11th Circuit
|
7
|
5
|
0
|
|
Federal Circuit
|
8
|
4
|
0
|
|
Circuit court total
|
99
|
68
|
11
|
Gray shading indicates circuits with a majority of Republican
appointees.
From the September 20 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill
O'Reilly:
CALLER: I'm the son of a card-carrying, union member, steel mill
worker. My dad was a steel mill worker. A Democrat. However, I've always -- I'm
47 years old. I have always been a conservative Republican, but I'm not very
comfortable with the Republicans being in control of everything -- the
executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch. And I wish the Democrats
would come up with somebody a little bit better than what they have. It's like
-- you know, sometimes I've -- I would like to see a change, but if I say I'm
for a Democratic contender, then people will say well, oh, you're for gay
marriages? Which, I'm not. I'm a God-fearing man. Are you for killing unborn
babies? No, I'm not. But I wish -- you know, why do they bring moral issues in?
Why can't they just --
O'REILLY: Well, here's -- here's --
CALLER: -- get with the program and fix our country? I mean, look
out for the common good.
O'REILLY: I can't -- I can't -- right. I can't answer -- I can't
answer your broad question other than to say, number one, the Republicans don't
have control of the judicial branch. All right? They don't have control of
that. That secular progressives have made a lot of progress in the courts. The
reason Republicans have control of the presidency and the legislature -- House
and Senate -- is because the Democrats can't come up with anybody with any
solutions. And John Kerry had no solutions to any problem, which is why he
lost. And the far left is the money machine for the Democratic Party. They pour
the money in. The Hollywood crew. The George Soros crew. They're pouring the
money in. So they're calling the shots.
|
|