Bush's Judicial Picks Could Be a Battle Boyle

When he offered up 11 nominees to the federal bench last week, President George W. Bush urged Congress to confirm them swiftly and without rancor. That won't come easily. Democrats are itching to pick off at least one conservative from the batch. For the moment, they're holding their fire to see what kind of horse trading they can do with the White House. But they already have a No. 1 target: U.S. District Court Judge TERRENCE W. BOYLE, 55, a protege of North Carolina conservative Senator JESSE HELMS. Bush has tapped Boyle for the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the Carolinas. North Carolina's other Senator, Democrat JOHN EDWARDS, opposes Boyle, but Edwards is holding off blocking the nomination to see if he can strike a deal with the White House. Edwards wants Bush to appoint another North Carolinian to the Fourth Circuit, state appeals court Judge JAMES A. WYNN, an African American whom Helms has blocked in the past. If they agree to a trade, Bush and Edwards will have to overcome one other hurdle: Helms. He's told North Carolina reporters that he isn't interested in a deal. Sounds like the same old Washington.

--By Matthew Cooper and Douglas Waller/Washington