Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 13, 1994                   TAG: 9410130053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

MANY CLINTON JUDGESHIPS GOING TO WOMEN, MINORITIES

During Clinton's first two years in office, 58 percent of his nominations for federal judgeships have been women and minorities, a much higher proportion than any previous president.

Of President Bush's federal judicial nominations, 13 percent were women and minorities. Under President Reagan, it was 8 percent, and 27 percent under President Carter.

``The president has made it clear he wants the courts to reflect America,'' said White House Counsel Abner Mikva. ``Nobody is going to be picked because they are a woman or because they are black or because they are Hispanic, but the president wants the court to reflect the pluralism of America.''

Of Clinton's federal judicial nominations in the past two years, 63 percent have been rated ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association. That compares with 52 percent under Bush, 53 percent under Reagan and 57 percent under Carter.

Change has come slowly to the federal judiciary. Of the 837 federal judges across the country, about 5 percent were black and about 13 percent were women before Clinton took office.

Among Clinton's 143 federal nominees, 30 percent have been women, 21 percent have been black and 8 percent have been Hispanic.

``The record is a spectacular one,'' said Sheldon Goldman, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. ``It is the first time in history that we have had an administration that has named over a majority of women and minorities.''

Goldman, who has studied federal judicial selection for 30 years, said the increase is important because women and minorities historically have been excluded from careers on the federal bench.

``It is important that people achieve occupational mobility and not be denied mobility because of their gender and race,'' Goldman said. ``It is also important to have a judiciary that represents society.''

Clinton faced a record number of judicial vacancies when he became president - 13.5 percent or 113 judgeships, White House officials said. The high vacancy rate was caused partly by a rift between Republican Bush and the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee.

Still, the Clinton White House was unable to make much progress toward filling the vacancies during its first year. Only 28 judges were confirmed then.

But now, after stepping up the effort during the second year, White House officials are announcing that 101 judges have been confirmed this year - the largest number in the last 15 years.