BUSH APPOINTS PICKERING 
Tuesday , January 20, 2004

President Bush bi-passed the Senate and the Democrat filibuster and put Judge Charles Pickering on the federal appeals court in New Orleans.

Very soon after the Bush’s appointment, Pickering was sworn in as a member of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an informal ceremony in Jackson, Mississippi.

As Pickering announced that he was looking forward to serving on the 5th Circuit, he added that he was “grateful to the President for his confidence and support.”

This is what is known as a “recess appointment.” It has been used by Presidents of both parties and the appointments are made while Congress is in adjournment. The Presidents, when using a “recess appointment,” by pass the traditional jurisdiction confirmation process, which requires approval by a Senate majority, but allows appointees, who normally have lifetime tenure, to serve only until the end of the current term of Congress.

In other words, Pickering’s appointment will expire at the end of this year unless he later receives Senate approval.

Pickering’s nomination was held up for years by Senate Democrats who accused him of being hostile to civil rights, yet there was much evidence to the contrary. Many who know Pickering, both black and white Mississippi residents and political leaders describe him as progressive on racial issues. He testified against the Ku Klux Klansmen and sent his children to a majority black school.

Bush’s appointment of Pickering on Friday infuriated liberal Democrats who accused the President of trying to shore up his conservative base in an election year.

In calling on the Senate to stop playing politics with the American Judicial System, Bush stated he used his Constitutional authority to make the appointment because Pickering had been waiting 2 ½ years for a Senate vote. Bush accused the Senate of using unprecedented obstructionists tactics.

Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss) called Pickering’s appointment an “exceptional case.”

Pickering is the kind of judge we need. He is a Christian. He is fair and honest;
an upstanding, moral, decent man.”

Pray for him.