The President and the Courts

How do presidents try to influence the courts? Obviously, Supreme Court nominations are a key method. See the story behind Justice O'Connor. How would the Democratic presidential candidates pick a justice?

Once justices are in place, the executive tries to sway the courts through legal arguments. Note the role of the Solicitor General.

The judicial branch, of course, restrains and influences the executive branch. The Bush administration recently lost a round on fuel economy standards but won a round on national security wiretapping. Can we generalize from these cases? In comparison with domestic issues, have courts been more reluctant to stay the executive's hand in matters of national security?