But Presidents rarely appoint more than one or two Supreme Court Justices per term. Presidential influence on the Judiciary, however, is not limited to Supreme Court appointments. There are 645 federal judges serving on district courts and 167 judges on the 13 Courts of Appeals. Consequently, it takes time for a President to be able to nominate enough people to significantly change the ideological makeup of courts, but the impact can be profound. Effectiveness Appointing top leaders does not automatically translate into control over governmental action.
Presidents sometimes find it hard to recruit people to work in the executive branch.
Many appointees arrive untrained in the arts of politics and government management. Even those who accept jobs often leave within two years of service. When this happens, presidential efforts to shape and direct the executive branch are hampered. Presidential leadership, however, often hinges on using appointments effectively and working with appointees to accomplish presidential objectives. St. Martin's Press.