[JURIST] Four US federal appeals court nominees requested Tuesday that their names be withdrawn from consideration by the Senate [official website], according to Republican party officials. Each of the nominees, Michael Wallace, William Haynes, William Myers and Terrence Boyle [official profiles], were opposed by Democrats and failed to gain confirmation before the Senate began its vacation in December. With the installation of the majority Democrat Congress, the nominees would have faced heavy scrutiny during subsequent Senate confirmation hearings. In May 2006, the American Bar Association [group website] voted unanimously [JURIST report] that Wallace, former aide to US Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), was "not qualified" [ratings, PDF] to sit on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [official website].

Despite the withdrawals, Republican officials confirmed that President Bush will nominate 33 more candidates for federal judgeships. AP has more.

6:45 PM - The new White House judicial nominations [letter; additional letter] have now gone forward to the Senate.