Pickering joins bench
The week's news at a glance.
Jackson, Miss.
President Bush installed Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering Sr. on a federal appeals court last week, bypassing Democratic opposition by acting while Congress was in recess. Sen. Charles Schumer, one of the Democrats who had blocked a confirmation vote on Pickering for three years, called the recess appointment “a finger in the eye.” Democrats said Pickering had shown bias against blacks on and off the bench—he once reduced the sentence of a man who burned a cross near the home of an interracial couple. Bush said the critics had unfairly smeared a good man. “If he were given a vote, he would be confirmed,” Bush said. Pickering can serve until the next Congress convenes, in January 2005.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
El Palace Barcelona: old-world luxury in the heart of the city
The Week Recommends This historic hotel is set within a former Ritz outpost moments from the Passeig de Gràcia
-
The best history books to read in 2025
The Week Recommends These fascinating deep-dives are perfect for history buffs
-
July 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include the danger of talking politics at a family picnic, and disappearing Medicaid entitlements