JURIST - Paper Chase: Bush installs Pickering with recess appointment

In Friday's federal courts roundup, as reported earlier in a Breaking News bulletin on JURIST's Paper Chase, President Bush today bypassed Senate approval by making a recess appointment of US District Judge Charles Pickering to the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. As reported by AP, Pickering will serve until the next Congress is seated, in January 2005. He will need to be confirmed by the Senate to continue beyond that point. Senate Democrats had blocked Pickering's nomination for nearly two years, accusing him of supporting segregation as a young man, and promoting anti-abortion and anti-voting measures. Additionally, AP reports that Senate Democrats have questioned whether Pickering would be able to separate his conservative political views from his role as a judge. The website of the US Department of Justice Office of Legislative Policy offers further information on Judge Pickering, including statements and letters supporting his nomination to the Fifth Circuit.