How Biden compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges
As Biden’s term draws to a close, here’s a look at the federal judges the 46th president appointed during his four years in the White House.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Supreme Court
Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low
Fewer than half of Americans (47%) now express a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court.
Most Americans favor maximum age limits for federal elected officials, Supreme Court justices
79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C. And 74% support such limits for Supreme Court justices.
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Public Opinion Supports Alito on Spousal Notification Even as It Favors Roe v. Wade
Of all the opinions that Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. has handed down during 15 years on the federal bench, the one drawing the most attention since his nomination to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is his support in a 1991 case for a provision in a Pennsylvania law that required women, with few […]
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Reaction to Harriet Miers’ Nomination: Less Support for Miers than for Roberts
Nearly two weeks after the announcement of the selection of Harriet Miers to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, controversy continues to surround the nomination. Recent polling, conducted October 6-10, 2005, by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press indicates that much of the public remains undecided about whether or […]
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Miers Concerns Center on Qualifications and Cronyism
Summary of Findings Americans are divided over whether Harriet Miers should be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Based on what they have heard so far, a third say they favor Miers’ confirmation, while 27% are opposed; four-in-ten express no opinion. In mid-September, about two months after John Roberts had been nominated to the court, the […]
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From Scopes to Dover : Should the Courts Permit Public Schools to Teach Intelligent Design?
National Press Club Washington, D.C. In late September 2005, Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District et al. went to trial in federal district court in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs challenged the decision of the Dover School Board requiring that public schools teach that intelligent design is an alternative theory to evolution. The plaintiffs alleged […]
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From Darwin to Dover: An Overview of Important Cases in the Evolution Debate
Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking theory on the origins of life, Americans are still fighting over evolution. If anything, the controversy is growing in both size and intensity. Recent polls indicate that challenges to Darwinian evolution have substantial support among the American people. According to a July 2005 survey sponsored by […]
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Four-in-ten Question Rebuilding New Orleans in Present Location
Summary of Findings With hearings on the nomination of John Roberts beginning today in Washington, a growing number of Americans say that Roberts should be confirmed as chief justice. In polling conducted over the weekend by the Pew Research Center, 46% expressed support for Roberts’s confirmation, up from 35% in a poll conducted last week. […]