Evening star., 1961-08-08

law and the natural attrition
in old judgeships through
death and retirement.
Mr.. White attributed the de-
lay In filling the coveted jobs
to the enormity of the task,
rather than to administra-
ton maneuvering to exchange
judgeships for votes on pend
ing legislation
1.-THE Justice Department" I"
he contended, "is not mixing
legislation with, judgeships."
Since President Kennedy took
office, according to a Justice
Department box score, eight
candidates have been nomi-
mated and approved by the
Senate. Nine others have been
nominated and await Senate
confirmation, and the admins
tration has recommended that
three Republican judges serv-
ing under recess appointments
should be approved.
The President, since taking
office, has been confronted
with 81 vacancies on the Fed
eral courts, plus 73 new judge
ships created by the omnibus
judgeShip law. In addition to
these lifetime appointments, he
must nominate six judges for
specific terms.
Included among the term
judges are a chief judge Of the
Municipal Court of Appeals
here and three judges for the
Districts Municipal Court. The
other term judgeships are in
the Canal Zone and Guam.
In all, the President has had
1t0 judges to- nominate since
he took office.
In addition to those already
nominated, it was understood
six names are now in the final
REORGANIZATION stages and a
numbers Of others are report
edly ready to go forward from
the Justice Department soon.
Record Appointments
No other President has had
as many appointments to make
in a four-year term, and this
President got the whole bundle
in his first five months.
Mr.. White said the Justice
Department has received about
1900 recommendations for the
judgeships. q
Asked If any Republicans will
be recommended to the White
House in addition to the three
judges serving under recess ap.
pointments, he said some Other
Republicans will be proposed
but he didn't say how many.
Right now, the balance be.
tween Republicans and Demo.
Gratis on the Federal bench IL
almost even. The Justice De.
paftment said there are now
157 Democrats and 159 Republi-
cans among the Federal judges
In the three Immediately pre-
ceding administrations, q sur
vey showed, President Roosevelt
appointed 1914 Democrats and
eight Republicans; President
Truman appointed 1913 Demo-
Gratis and 13 Republicans and
President Eisenhower appointed
II Democrats and 17S Repub-
lcans. q
Politics Not Key Factor
Mr.. White made it clear that
the political activity Of poten-
tial nominees will not be a dis
qualifying attribute. On the
other hand, he emphasized that
political considerations will not
be the dominant factor in
choosing judges.
AS to the caliber of the nonn-
inees, he said that of the "a
whose nominations have al
ready gone to the Senate or are
awaiting White House action
seven have been rated excep-
tionally we'll qualified, 10 well
qualified and seven qualified
by the Justice Department and
the American Bar Association
Asked about Negro nominees
he said several have been sug-
gested in different districts and
he expects two or three will be
recommended:
Seventeen of the vacaries on
the Federal bench have been in
the circuit courts of appeal. Mr.
White said some of these va
ca11cies will be filled from the
lower courtS-as in the cases
Of Judge Albert v. Bryan OF