Blog Post 3.5 - "Trump and Circuit Courts"

1. The district court is a trial court within the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the appellate court is a step higher than the district court, which oversees all individual districts. 
2. The Ninth Circuit in particular has been stereotyped as a liberal outlier whose decisions are usually overturned by the Supreme Court. It is also the largest appellate court.
3. The Ninth Circuit was transformed under Jimmy Carter, who appointed 15 of 23 judges to the appellate court during his tenure, all of which were progressive. 
4. Liberal decisions include a ruling that the Second Amendment does not recognize an individual right to bear arms and that the "Under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional as a government endorsement of religion. 
5. Most appellate court decisions are overturned by the Supreme Court, because why would the Supreme Court grant an appeal if it didn't think it would overturn a lower court decision. 
6. The Sixth and Eleventh Courts are overturned more often than the Ninth Court, both of which are conservative. 
7. Ideology seems to play no role in which decisions are overturned. The lowest reversal rate is for a moderate court, followed up by a liberal then a conservative court.