September 10, 2012

President Obama Appoints Record Number Of Women Judges To Federal Bench

WASHINGTON -- With the confirmation of Stephanie Rose as a U.S. district court judge on Monday, President Barack Obama has put 72 women on the federal bench -- the most ever appointed by a president in one term. It also ties the number former President George W. Bush had confirmed in his entire eight-year presidency, according to numbers provided by the White House.

In an 89-1 vote, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Rose as a judge in the Southern District of Iowa. She is the first woman to ever serve on this court, and it's the sixth time that Obama has put a woman on the bench for the first time in various courtrooms.

Former President Bill Clinton had the most number of female judges confirmed during his entire presidency -- 111 -- but just 61 of them were appointed in his first term.

Beyond women on the bench, Obama has had a remarkably strong record on diversifying the federal judiciary. The AP reported last year that Obama is "the first president who hasn't selected a majority of white males for lifetime judgeships."

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Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/obama-women-judges-stephanie-rose_n_1792063.html