Obama Nominates N.C. Judges to 4th Circuit
President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated two state judges from North Carolina to the 4th Circuit, taking a big step toward filling vacancies on the depleted appellate court and giving Obama a chance to remake a historically conservative court. One nominee, Judge James Wynn Jr. of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, was also a choice of President Bill Clinton, but then-Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., blocked Wynn's nomination. The other nominee, Judge Albert Diaz, is a special trial judge for complex business cases.
