Right On The Right

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is jokingly referred to by many, including myself at times, as the 9th Circus. They're a shining example of a liberal judiciary, and they're infamous for making pro-ACLU, anti-Christian, and downright anti-Constitutional decisions. Hopefully, a new face at the head of the court will change things. Meet Alex Kozinski, and keep his name in your head:

Today, Mary M. Schroeder completes her seven-year tenure as chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Alex Kozinski commences his term. The 9th Circuit, which is the biggest and busiest of the 12 regional circuit courts in the country, is also widely believed to be its most liberal -- so it is not insignificant that Schroeder's understated manner and liberal political views contrast with the flamboyant style and conservative perspectives of Kozinski.

The 9th Circuit, which hears federal appeals from California and eight other Western states, has more judges (28) than any other circuit court, receives the highest number of appeals (15,000 annually) and encompasses the largest territory (1.3 million square miles). It also may be the most controversial because of perennial conservative complaints that it is excessively liberal. Repeated efforts to split the court because of its size and controversial politics have proved unsuccessful.

This should be an interesting experiment, seeing if Kozinski can fix the 9th Circus, and if it's successful, it's an argument for more Conservatives in the Executive to appoint these men. That obviously is an argument for Huckabee, Romney, and even McCain, who would most likely appoint people in the mold of Scalia, Alito, and Roberts.