As opening day approaches I made room for 5 more species for the African Area.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
My Little Garden Zoo: African Additions
President Biden's Impact on the Eighth Federal Circuit Judiciary
The two largest states in circuit are a study of opposites: Missouri (pop 6,178,000) and Minnesota (pop 5,717,000). The former represented in the Senate by two male Maga-Republicans including noted Insurrectionist supporter Joshua Hawley, while Minnesota's Senators are both Democratic women. With just 461,000 difference in population, both states have 8 member House of Representative delegations; however, Minnesota can manage with just 7 Federal Judges while Missouri needs 16! Is Missouri more than twice as lawless as Minnesota? Extrapolating further to another state in the 8th Circuit, Arkansas. With a comparative population of 3,046,000, it is home to 8 Federal Judges. Over twice as many per capita as Minnesota. Is Minnesota really that much safer? Don't ask George Floyd's family, or is this just one of innumerable examples of the systemic racism present in the Federal Judiciary? Because one thing that Missouri and Arkansas have that Minnesota doesn't is a whole more Black people. Think about it, kittens. Just think about it.
So what are the claims to demographic fame that the 8th circuit can make? The least number of women by percentage. The least number of non-white judges by percentage. The Appellate Division with the greatest percentage of men (91%), of white Judges (91%) and of Republican appointed Judges (91%)
With so few open seats the raw number of women judges out of the 55 total seats in the circuit actually dropped from 13 to 12, in spite of Biden nominating 3 women to seats in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
President Biden's Impact on the Seventh Federal Circuit Judiciary
A ten percentage point gain of women on the Appeals Court is only eclipsed by the Diversity stats. From ZERO non-white judges to 36%. In the District of Northern Illinois the number of non-white justices went from 9 put 22 to 12 out of 23. The District of Northern Indiana becomes the first District in the Seventh Circuit to become majority female, while both Central and Southern Illinois maintained gender parity.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
President Biden's Impact on the Sixth Circuit Federal Judiciary
The long and short of it, both in Gender parity and Racial/Ethnic diversity, the Sixth District has been a wash. There were 26 female judges when President Biden took the oath of office and there will be 26 female judges when his first term ends. Racial diversity has increased slightly, but at the cost of Racial diversity. The 13 Black Judges have shrunk to 11, but now this 1 Hispanic Judge (Northern Ohio) and 1 East Asian Judge (Eastern Michigan).
There is one open seats on the Appeals the Court that has yet to have a nominee presented. The seat is in the Middle District in Nashville. I have a favorite candidate, who lives in Memphis and so the question would be would she bifurcate her life or move her family to Nashville. In any event, I hope they choose a qualified woman who is also Non-White.
My Little Garden Zoo: Initial African Habitats
The work continues on restoring My Little Garden Zoo, slow and steady. I was able to clean-up the last 4 habitats in the zone that is traditionally filled with animals from Africa, and then chose which species would inhabit those planters. I clearly need to add some more! Hell, I could triple the number of planters and still not have all of the African animals in my figurine collection on display. But I would like to include at least: African Painted Dogs, Spotted Hyenas, Ostriches, and Meerkats... I also have several other ungulates: Greater Eland, Lesser Kudu, Eastern Mountain Bongo, Impala, Hirola, Addra Gazelle, Sable Antelope, Blue Wildebeest and Scimitar Oryx.
The zoo doesn't formally open until Memorial Day Weekend, so like every other year...I have time to over-do-it!
Saturday, May 11, 2024
President Biden's Impact on the Fifth Circuit Federal Judiciary
By the middle of the third year of the Biden administration open seats in four of the Districts: Eastern Louisiana, Western Louisiana, Southern Texas and Western Texas had reached the point that the work of the Districts was under stress. It was at this time that the Senators from Texas and Louisiana came to agree on three candidates each. It did not fill the entirety of open seats, but the confirmation of these judges (all men), did release some of the pressure.
Additionally, in the second year of the Biden Administration a candidate was nominated with the initial blessing of the two Senators from Mississippi for an open seat in the Northern District of Mississippi. After the fact, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith discovered that the nominee believed that Trans people were human beings who deserved all the same rights and protections afforded by the Constitution that she had, and she rescinded her blue card killing the nomination.
The majority of changes represented in the charts is due to attrition and open seats. It speaks to the fact that Conservatives understand if you don't move, you move backward.