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Diluting Justice On Appeal?: An Examination Of The Use Of District Court Judges Sitting By Designation On The United States Courts Of Appeals, Richard B. Saphire, Michael E. Solimine

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

According to a number of studies and commentators, a serious caseload crisis faces the federal courts. With respect to the federal courts of appeals, some have called for drastic remedial measures. Until Congress responds, the courts of appeals have been forced to adopt a range of coping measures. In this article, Professors Saphire and Solimine examine one of these measures, the utilization of designated district court judges on appellate panels. After discussing the origins and extent of this practice, they identify a number of problems it raises. They argue that extensive and routine utilization of district judges on appellate panels …

Increasing Balance On The Federal Bench, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

In President Bill Clinton's first year of service, he nominated unprecedented numbers and percentages of highly qualified women and minorities to the federal judiciary. The Clinton Administration correspondingly employed an effective process for choosing potential jurists that generated relatively little controversy.

Some wondered whether President Clinton could improve his first year judicial selection record during his second year in office, especially given the number of international conflicts and pressing domestic matters that faced the Administration. These complications threatened to deflect the Administration's attention from naming judges.

Now that the 103d Congress has adjourned and President Clinton has reached mid-term, the …