Up until 2014 or so, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals was one of the most conservative courts in the nation. But between Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and 2014, he’d appointed six of the fifteen judges at that court. By last summer, ten of the fifteen judges had been appointed by Democrats, the Washington Post was crowing There’s a word that no longer describes the federal appeals court in Richmond (spoiler alert: the word is ‘conservative’) and its rulings started to look a lot like the Ninth Circuit.

Today South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy announced he’s retiring. Like many here, I’m sorry to see that. Even though his district is reliably Republican, Gowdy was one of the few workhorses in an institution beset with show horses. But read his announcement carefully–first sentence, paragraph two.

There is a time to come and a time to go. This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system. Full statement here → pic.twitter.com/7I8AApqvs1

— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) January 31, 2018

Then think about these

Gowdy says he "will be returning to the justice system." Worth noting: There's a vacancy on the 4th circuit court of appeals as of…yesterday. https://t.co/p0uBitDV4r

— Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) January 31, 2018

What's more, the 4th Circuit judge who *just* took senior status yesterday, Dennis Shedd, is actually also from South Carolina, like Gowdy, and there's generally a preference to keep court of appeals seats in the same state https://t.co/LuK8vD5RpU

— David Nir (@DavidNir) January 31, 2018

FWIW on Trey Gowdy saying he is "returning to the justice system": there are two South Carolina vacancies on the 4th Circuit: Judge Shedd's seat (announced in November, officially vacant as of yesterday) and Judge Traxler's (announced this month, vacant as of August) pic.twitter.com/mhs3bDuZjL

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) January 31, 2018

What's more, the 4th Circuit judge who *just* took senior status yesterday, Dennis Shedd, is actually also from South Carolina, like Gowdy, and there's generally a preference to keep court of appeals seats in the same state https://t.co/LuK8vD5RpU

— David Nir (@DavidNir) January 31, 2018

I can’t see Gowdy heading back to be a federal prosecutor or US Attorney in South Carolina. I really can’t see him going to Justice unless one of the top two positions open. But the Fourth Circuit makes a helluva lot of sense and it would be a great service to the nation to get him on the bench there and start righting that listing ship.