Obama’s new emissions rules likely to face a friendly court

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The fate of President Barack Obama's new regulations for curbing greenhouse gas emissions from existing U.S. power plants likely lies in the hands of a Washington, D.C., appeals court he largely reshaped through a series of key appointments. The appeals court has 11 active judges, of whom seven were appointed by Democratic presidents and four by Republicans. Four of the Democratic appointments were made by Obama over the past 13 months. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, often referred to as the country’s second most powerful court, hears most major regulatory cases including those made against air pollution rules.