• Short answer: kinda. Longer answer: It used to be very liberal. With the controversy around Obama appointee Goodwin Liu taking shape, much of the bad-talking has been around the court he was recommended for. The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court has a rep driven in part by its decision against using the phrase “under god,” and the Supreme Court’s consistent rulings against its decisions. But let’s throw some numbers at you guys and let you decide.

• 88% the rate the Supreme Court has reversed its recent decisions between 2008 and 2009
• 12k the number of cases the court heard last year – far higher than any of the other appeals courts
• 58% of the court’s appointees came from Democratic presidencies, the highest rate of any appeals court

• » Why does it lean liberal? Simply put, Jimmy Carter was in office during a period when this circuit court was expanded, and it allowed him to throw in 15 liberal-leaning judges. The geographic area is more liberal, too. But this has eased in recent years, due to the fact that those judges got old and Bush appointed seven of the 27 judges currently on the court. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • Permalink