President Bush has nominated two more ultra-conservatives to the federal bench, adding fuel to Senate fire.

Both are nominated for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the second most influential court in the country. One is Janice Rogers Brown, whom we wrote about here. The New York Times reporter accurately, in our opinion, characterizes her this way:

Justice Brown, 54, has been touted intensively in conservative legal circles as someone whose judicial philosophy would match that of Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, both of whom Mr. Bush said would be his models for any Supreme Court appointments.

The other is Brett M. Kavanaugh.

Mr. Kavanaugh, at 38, would be one of the youngest members of the federal appeals bench. He is assistant to the president and staff secretary, and has been responsible for marshaling the fleet of largely conservative judicial nominees the president has sent to the Senate, resulting in angry battles with Democrats. But he is probably better known as a senior assistant to Kenneth W. Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President and Mrs. Clinton for a variety of issues.

During the Clinton Administration, the Republicans refused to allow any judges to be appointed to the D.C. Circuit, claiming its light work load did not require more than ten judges. Miguel Estrada was to have been the tenth judge. That makes Rogers Brown and Kavenaugh numbers 11 and 12. What will the Republicans say now?

These judges are appointed for life. The D.C. Circuit is considered a direct line for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. If you care about preserving the independence of our judiciary during your children's lifetimes, get on the horn now and let your elected officials know you oppose these nominations.