Let battle begin for the judges

ONE of the first items of post-election business will be the “vacancy crisis” in the federal judiciary. About a fifth of the judges' seats in America's 13 appeals courts, which are one tier below the Supreme Court, are vacant. So are 9% of those in the 94 district courts. The constitution charges the president with nominating judges, and the Senate with confirming them. Since these arms of government have been controlled by different parties almost continuously since 1994, the process has virtually come to a halt. Mr Bush can now push ahead.