紐時賞析／拜登任內任命235名法官 女性、有色人種人數超越歷任總統

Biden Celebrates a Milestone on Judicial Confirmations After a Major Push by Democrats

民主黨力催 拜登任命法官數達里程碑

President Joe Biden celebrated the confirmation of 235 federal judges over the course of his presidency, the culmination of an intense effort by Democrats in his term’s waning months to match President-elect Donald Trump’s total four years ago.

美國總統拜登慶祝在任內確認了235名聯邦法官人事案，這是他總統任期即將結束的數月間，民主黨加緊努力的巔峰，以便和美國總統當選人川普四年前任命的聯邦法官總數打平。

The 235 federal judges confirmed to lifetime positions by the Senate, including one Supreme Court justice, barely surpassed the 234 confirmed under Trump during his first term.

聯邦參議院確認235名聯邦法官終身職，包括一名最高法院大法官，人數剛好超過川普第一任期內確認的234人。

In reaching that milestone, Biden said his legacy would be creating a bulwark against threats to democracy and empowering individuals who would respect legal precedent — a subtle nod to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and other major reversals that occurred during his presidency.

達成這個里程碑時，拜登表示，他的政績將是建造一座抵禦民主威脅的堡壘，並賦予權力給尊重法律先例的個人。這是對最高法院推翻羅訴韋德案及他任內其他重大翻案的微妙暗示。

“Together, these judges are going to hear cases on issues, ruling on from everything from whether Americans can cast their ballot, I mean literally how they can cast their ballot, when it will be counted,” Biden said. “Whether workers can unionize — I thought we settled that in 1934 — and make a living wage for their families; whether their children can breathe clean air and drink clean water.”

拜登表示：「這些法官合起來將審理涉及各種議題的案件，裁決包括美國人是否能夠投票，我的意思真的是他們可以如何投票，以及何時計票。還有工人是否能組織工會，我以為我們1934年就解決了那件事，及能否為他們的家人賺取賴以為生的薪資；他們的子女能否呼吸到乾淨的空氣和喝到乾淨的水。」

Flanked by Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden joked about the great lengths the three of them had gone through to hold votes on his nominees last year.

在參院多數黨領袖、紐約州聯邦參議員舒默和參院司法委員會主席、伊利諾州聯邦參議員德賓簇擁下，拜登開玩笑表示，他們三人去年為了讓他的提名人舉行投票費盡心思。

But he said the breakneck pace proved his administration’s commitment to elevating women and people of color to the federal judiciary; some two-thirds of his nominees fell into one or both categories.

但他指出，這種快速步伐，證明他的政府致力在司法部門提升女性和有色人種；他的提名人選約三分之二屬於其中一類，或同時是這兩類。

“When I ran for president, I made a promise that I’d have a bench that looks like America, and taps into the full talents of this nation,” he said. “And I’m proud we’ve kept our commitment,” he continued, citing the “help of these two men, and many others” in “bolstering confidence in judicial decision making and outcomes.”

他說：「我競選總統時就承諾，我將擁有一個看起來像美國的法院，並充分利用這個國家的人才。」拜登繼續說道，「我們履行了這個承諾讓我自豪」，並表彰「這兩個人和其他許多人的幫助，增強對司法判決和結果的信心」。

The 235 judges confirmed under Biden represent more than a quarter of all the judges on the federal bench, and the number of women and people of color included in the final tally outstripped all of Biden’s predecessors.

拜登任內確認了235名法官，占所有聯邦法院法官人數逾四分之一，並且在最終統計中，女性和有色人種法官數目超過所有拜登之前的總統。

文／Zach Montague　譯／羅方妤

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【張佑生】

三權分立(separation of powers)將政府分為立法、行政、司法，所謂依法行政，國會立法後，行政部門執行，最後司法審查，相互監督制衡(checks and balances)。先賢的設計到了21世紀逐漸走調，本應中立的司法日漸政治化，連大法官也開始旗幟鮮明。這是紐時的弦外之音：先卡位。

簡單說，拜登任命人數破紀錄的聯邦法官(judge)，著眼於聯邦最高法院。既然大法官(justice)可以任意推翻前輩的判例(legal precedent)，拜登也不必客氣，火速任命。at breakneck speed/pace是危險的狂飆，放在名詞前面：He raced through the streets at breakneck speed.

Bulwark介係詞用against或of時意義不同：a bulwark against dictatorship/unemployment；the bulwark of the global security system/the bulwark of the nation's democracy.或者Religion was his bulwark.