OBAMA WILL LIKELY SWING COURT WITH FOUR OPEN SEATS

The most conservative U.S. court of appeals, the 4th District, will likely see a major transformation under President-elect Barack Obama.

The Richmond Times wrote Monday that “President Bush failed to fill four vacancies on the 15-judge court, which decides cases on issues such as abortion, the death penalty and terrorism.”

Just how important are those four seats? Well, they will very likely determine the balance of power as six of the court’s current judges were appointed by Republican presidents and five by Democrats.

And as the Times noted, “Since few cases make it past the country’s 13 circuit courts to the U.S. Supreme Court, the 4th Circuit is, in large part, the highest court for the states it serves: Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.”

Looks like that liberal activist nightmare we conservatives have been dreading for years is already hitting close to home.

(h/t S.C. Appellate Law Blog)