Souter Retiring from Supreme Court, But Justice Hillary Clinton Seems Unlikely
By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Justice David Souter's departure was still in "source" form last night, not yet confirmed by the White House or Supreme Court. But the race was on among the media to be first to guess who his replacement might be. The Atlantic Monthly cited XX chromosomes as the most important qualification:
Obama will be under enormous pressure to name a woman to replace Mr. Souter, especially given the illness of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Justice John Paul Stevens is 89.
Somewhat opaquely, Obama, a constitutional law lecturer, has said that the single most important qualification his appointments must possess is empathy for those who are less fortunate… Among those who might make the list of replacements: incoming solicitor general Elena Kagan, formerly the dean of the Harvard Law School, Cass Sunstein, a brilliant constitutional law prof who now works at Obama's Office of Management and Budget, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, appelate judge Diane Wood, and Leah Ward Sears, the chief justice of Georgia's Supreme Court.
Politico.com says the president is under equal pressure to appoint a woman and a Hispanic. So:
The top candidate, on paper, is Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a Clinton appointee to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She meets the empathy criteria, having grown up poor in the South Bronx, as well as Obama's preference for sterling credentials, having graduated from Yale Law School.
I cannot believe Hillary Clinton is a serious candidate for Supreme Court Justice. First, she's having too much fun jetting around the world and using her influence where she wields the most clout: in international circles. Second, if she accepted a nomination to the Supreme Court, that'd be a sure sign she's never planning to run for president again. And few in Washington are convinced that is the case.
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Tags: Supreme Court | Supreme Court justices | David Souter | Hillary Clinton
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Reader Comments
Supreme Court Nominee
If the desire is to reflect American society then we must look at how the court is now. the are 9 married members when more Americans are single. Their are 8 white members when whites only make up 1/2 of American. There are 8 male members when over 1/2 of Americans are women. There are 5 Catholics when Catholics make up a small percentage of America.
There are 9 justices so only 1 should be Catholic, 4-5 should me men and 4-5 should me married and 4-5 should be white. Therefore President Obama should NOT nominate a white person or a Catholic person. Most Hispanics are Catholic. 2 of the Catholics are Italian Americans so that may cancel out any Hispanic nominee due to religion and yes religion is a factor as there was once a Catholic "seat" on the court just as there was a "Jewish" seat, a Southern "seat", a New York "seat", a Western "seat".
Where are the Buddist on the court? Where are the Hindus on the court? Where are the Mormans, Jehovah Witnesses, and yes, the Muslims? Where are the Native Americans, Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans and the Vietnamese Americans?
President Obama must change the Supreme Court and break the monopoly of Northeastern memebers on the Court. Of the 9 there are only 3 that are from other areas of the nation. They are from Illinois, Georgia and California.
GRUNDY - YOU'RE STILL HERE?
After your last two posts I feel certain that it is well past time for your meds.
p.s.
I don't have a bunker - I live in an old missile silo in the desert, surrounded by barbed wire and pit bulls - near area 51 ( jist waitin' for them little, bald, bug-eyed E.T. types to land). Stop by and I'll show you my gun collection. In the meantime - "Keep watching the sky."
Schafer bunker
I can imagine posters of Rush Limbaugh in all his drugged-out obese splendor hanging on the wall, Pat Buchanan quotes in fancy bold font decorating the bathroom ceiling, a 3' x 3' Fox News logo above the TV, which is always tuned to their station, Lawrence Welk blasting from the 8-track player, Hannity and Beck bobble-head dolls all over the shelves, nestled around a small shrine to Archie Bunker.....
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