. . . or, at least, to a specific group of circuit judges, may now be possible, if Tom Caso at The Opening Brief is correct. He cites a study covering ten years of federal appellate opinions that concludes “opinion specialization [is an] unmistakable part of every day judicial practice.” In other words, cases of specific types tend to get assigned to certain judges.
Says Tom, “If true, this suggests a more focused approach for the federal appellate lawyer.” There’s more, including a link to the study, at his post.