Obama’s judicial picks set up Senate battle

President Obama this week announced three nominees to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., setting up a major confrontation with Senate Republicans. Obama’s nominees are Cornelia Pillard, a Georgetown law professor; Patricia Ann Millett, an appeals lawyer; and Robert Leon Wilkins, a judge on the U.S. District Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit is viewed as critically important, since it reviews actions by federal agencies that affect health, safety, and the environment. Republicans say the court—which has leaned to the right—does not need to fill three vacancies, and accused Obama of trying to “pack’’ the court. Obama called that stance “obviously political.’’