presidential appointment news stories on Newser

Hey, Lefties: This Supreme Court Should Scare You

Mark Russell — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:25:05 CDT

With big issues working their way toward the Supreme Court on such vital issues as health care reform, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and police stops of undocumented immigrants, liberals need to be on guard, writes longtime court-watcher Emily Bazelon for the New York Times . Sure, there are solid progressives, such...

So Just Who Is This Bill Daley?

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:32:45 CST

William Daley has terms like "longtime Democratic operative," "former Clinton secretary of commerce" and "Chicago political scion" thrown about him, but the New York Times takes a closer look at President Obama's new right-hand guy. He's “a bare-knuckles administrator ... someone who not only makes the trains run on time, he...

Shelby Drops Holds on Obama Nominees

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:00:29 CST

Richard Shelby has decided to release the holds he's been using to block more than 70 Obama nominees in hopes of scoring two lucrative projects for his home state. The Alabama senator, who was hammered by Democrats for obstructionism, said he used the holds "to get the White House's attention...

Harry Reid Changes Tune on Recess Appointments

Kevin Spak — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:40:24 CST

Harry Reid thinks its time for Barack Obama to make some recess appointments, a procedural move the majority leader vehemently opposed when George Bush was in power. “What alternative do we have?” Reid said last week, exasperated over Richard Shelby’s move to place a hold on all of Obama’s outstanding...

Obama Names Transgender Appointee

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:58:08 CST

President Obama has named Amanda Simpson to serve as a senior technical adviser to the Commerce Department, making her one of the first transgender presidential appointees. Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality’s board of directors, is former test pilot who previously worked as deputy director in...

Fox Lashes Health Pick as as 'Too Fat to Serve'

Jason Farago — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:22:19 CDT

Fox News ripped into President Obama's choice for surgeon general yesterday for being too fat for the job. "Enough fat for my next guest to say 'fat chance' for Dr. Regina Benjamin to even be considered," said host Neil Cavuto. The guest? Not a public health expert or even a...

Attacking Nominees Demeans Court

Harry Kimball — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:53:02 CDT

The political attack ads popular in general elections have a profoundly negative effect on the public’s view of the Supreme Court when used during the nomination process, James L. Gibson writes fror Miller-McCune.com. “Politicized confirmation processes can indeed damage the institution of the US Supreme Court itself,” Gibson writes...

Obama: Court Pick Will Go Beyond 'Ivory Tower' Smarts

Harry Kimball — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:05:13 CDT

President Obama said today he would be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court “soon” and hopes to have the new justice confirmed by Congress’ August recess, Bloomberg reports. In a C-SPAN interview, Obama laid out his criteria, which includes not only “ivory tower learning” but also empathy. “You have...

Prez Taps NYC Health Head to Lead CDC

Fri, 15 May 2009 07:48:37 CDT

President Obama today appointed Dr. Thomas Frieden as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, turning to New York City's health commissioner to deal with the swine flu outbreak and other major health issues. Frieden has served as commissioner for the past 7 years, where he led a...