The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, has long been the court conservatives love to hate. Instead, the 9th Circuit seems to be growing more centrist. During the next 30 years, the 9th Circuit would continually draw the right’s enmity with high-profile, left-wing decisions. Between 2006 and 2009, the 9th Circuit threw out the capital sentence of convicted murderer Fernando Belmontes three times, with each decision overturned by the Supreme Court. Nearly 60% of Obama’s 9th Circuit appointees are former criminal prosecutors (a percentage that will increase if Lucy Koh, nominated in February, is confirmed).

Source: Los Angeles Times September 11, 2016 12:00 UTC