The New York Times on President Bush's recess appointment of William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals:

Judge Pryor has testified before Congress in favor of dropping a crucial part of the Voting Rights Act, argued in favor of a Texas law that made gay sex illegal and taken outlandish positions on "federalism," a states' rights philosophy that seeks to undercut federal rights. He has reserved his most intemperate remarks for the issue of reproductive rights, declaring at one point that Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling upholding abortion rights, had "ripped the Constitution and ripped out the life of millions of unborn children."

The recess appointment will last only until sometime in the fall of 2005. At that point, Judge Pryor will need Senate confirmation. Given his record, even that brief term seems much too long.