I dunno. RBG's gotta be pretty old. Remember she was doing those movies way back during the depression:
Posted on 07/04/2005 9:20:24 PM PDT by GOPGuide
[SNIP]
On Friday, with the announced retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor from the Supreme Court, It took a few minutes for the news to set in on Capitol Hill, among Republicans and Democrats alike. After all, even the White House in briefing Republican leadership on the Hill spoke in the belief that it would be Chief Justice William Rehnquist who is retiring.
"The White House seemed to be expecting Rehnquist first, that was what my boss was getting briefed on," says a staffer for a Senator sitting on the Judiciary Committee. "We were told Rehnquist in July, possibly later this year."
Rumors are already swirling about a possible third retirement after November. The most likely would be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who according to former Supreme Court clerks may be in poorer health than Justice Rehnquist.
"That's the seat for [Albert] Gonzales, that third seat if it opens up," says Department of Justice staffer. "All of this depends on how the first nomination goes, but the assumption here is that this is not the time for Gonzales."
As of this writing federal Judge Emilio Garza is the frontrunner to replace O'Conner. There are several indicators, which may all be red herrings, but that is half the fun.
First, Texas Sen. John Cornyn met with the President, as well as Chief of Staff Andrew Card and several members of the White House Counsel office early Friday. Up on Capitol Hill, rumors were quickly swirling that Cornyn had been offered the Supreme Court nomination. Those rumors were fueled when his senior staff essentially went underground for several hours.
But later in the day, Cornyn was making television appearances to discuss the nominations process, as well as placing an op-ed about the process.
Cornyn is now believed to be the President's point person in the Senate to help measure the level of support for potential nominees. "He's the President's 'consultation' guy," says a Senate leadership source. "That's how we're proceeding. If he is the nominee, we will be surprised again. But that's nothing new with this White House."
Cornyn and Garza know each other from their days in Texas and other legal circles.
Another indicator of Garza's status is that several senior Republican staffers on the Judiciary Committee have begun poring over court rulings from the period of 1987 through 1990, a period when Garza served as a U.S. district judge before his elevation to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
That research, though, could just as well apply to Judge Edith Hollan Jones, who has been sitting on the Fifth Circuit since 1985. Jones was considered for possible Supreme Court nominations by President George H.W. Bush.
I dunno. RBG's gotta be pretty old. Remember she was doing those movies way back during the depression:
Well if she IS inccapacitated than they should force her to retire like they did with "Wild Bill" Douglas. But with current situation on the Court...I'd doubt whether Stevens would manage to do what Brennan and Marshall (who were probably the most liberal people in the whole country, except Douglas himself) did.
True. And currently probably only Justice Thomas could be considered a "right-wing activist" although I highly doubt whether he would actually do what the libs do.
93% to be more precise :). How old is he, BTW? Dubya shouldn't nominate anybody who is older than 55 (personally I'd even prefer somebody as young as Thomas was when GHWB nominated him).
We've known Ruth(less) was sick for a very long time, but thanks for the additional information.
Yes, it is quite unbelievable the White House would be caught off guard. So why give credibility to "a staffer for a Senator sitting on the Judiciary Committee."?
I hear ya! According to the Federalist's website SOUTER is spanish for Gonzales! LOL
And if the hag died tomaorrow would anyone out there be unhappy?
bookmark for later read
I hope you're right.
....No freakin' way is that harridan retiring until she can be replaced by a lib.....
She might of course involuntarily die from the serious illness negating the need to retire.
He's in better health than Rhenquist and Ginsburg. You never know how long he may go. He's two years younger than my dad and I wouldnt be surprised if my dad makes it another four.
In my hometown of 4000 people we had two birthdays a week or so ago of import. One lady was 110 and the other 107. Also as a portent of Social Security, remember the person who first retired under SS just died this past year. Dont count on death to save us.
What makes you think we're going to pick up seats om 2006? Pubs aren't acting like they want it that badly. They need to not get too tricky right now. Just Govern, dammit.
Cornyn seems a little squishy to me. A little squeamish. Perhaps lacking the belly for the wet work. Like he's gotten out front of the illegal alien question, but he's right behind the president's amnesty plan.
Bush has referred to it as such as well and I mean GW, not dad. He has said it doubts that abortion will disappear until people's hearts change.
Most court watchers dont expect an overturn of Roe, just additional limitations. BTW, not all conservatives are the same. Many of those on the short list dont believe in overturning existing constitutional law except in special circumstances like Brown vs. Board of Education.
When Justice Douglas was late in his long career, he became unable to participate in the oral arguments and the drafting of opinions. He was either senile, or very close to that. Ultimately, a delegation of three of his colleagues went to him and made it clear in private that it was time for him to step down, and he did so.
If a similar situation arises in the future, I expect that the Justices of the Court will solve it themselves, quietly, in the same way they dealt with Justice Douglas.
Congressman Billybob
So, just what illness does she have?
I have not heard this anywhere else.
Maybe some rumors years ago, but nothing that materialized.
Somehow I doubt she is sick. Believe it, it would be nice to get a retirement, even in that way, but where is the evidence she is sick at all?
She did have colon cancer and part of her colon was removed in 1999. I don't know if the current rumors are related to that or not, but she's not a spring chicken.
bttt
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