led in battles over presidential appointments and judicialization of politics.
             With the executive and legislative branches split between the partisanships, appointments that would have sailed through the legislative branch now caused even more division between the parties. Nominees were burned at the political stake by Democrats and Republicans alike. The appointments weren't corralled to the Supreme Court. Presidential nominations within the executive branch have been turned down as well. The reasons for refusing confirmation by the legislative branch were far-ranging. Partisanship surely played a role, as did personal charges of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, etc. Character Assassination had become the routine way of denying a nominee. Ethics laws enacted in the 1970's forced nominees to disclose publicly much of their personal and financial history and accept reductions in income. These laws have caused the talent pool for qualified people to shrink. Not only because of the previous reason,
             ...