bq. The portrait the political scientists provide is not especially flattering, concluding that “it is hard to characterize the Obama nomination record as one of great success.” Echoing reporting that has appeared elsewhere, including in The National Law Journal, they note the historic gender and racial diversity of the president’s appointees but also describe the relatively slow pace of nominations and confirmations.
bq. Contributing to the problems is a White House process that at times has been disorganized and insular, according to the article. Counsel’s offices since the Reagan administration have held regular, face-to-face meetings with Justice Department lawyers to make decisions about judicial nominees, but Obama’s aides scaled back the meetings and reduced DOJ’s involvement.
From a post by David Ingram at The Legal Times blog (via Jon Bernstein). The political scientists are Sheldon Goldman, Elliot Slotnick, and Sara Schiavoni. Their research is in Judicature (gated).