High court (alleged) moderates may leave after Bush, writer says

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | September 27, 2007 | Joe Connelly

[Clintonfatigued]

A trio of moderate U.S. Supreme Court justices will likely leave the court soon after President Bush leaves office, according to the author of a just-published insider's look at the Supremes.

In an interview, Jeffrey Toobin, author of "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court" (Doubleday), identified the probable retirees as Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Toobin gives a detailed account of how the high court has evolved in the past 20 years.

The core of the book, however, is its reporting of a campaign by movement conservatives to gain control of a pivotal branch of American government.

"The political 'center' exists in Justice Anthony Kennedy, and is in a different place than it was two years ago," Toobin explained in an interview. He will be appearing in Seattle next Friday.

Kennedy, Toobin argues, is to the right of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who spent more than a decade as the court's pivotal vote until her retirement in 2005. O'Connor, a Reagan appointee, was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito, a favorite of the conservative Federalist Society.

"There is a difference between the conservatism of a Sandra Day O'Connor, which is by nature libertarian, and 'conservative' as defined by Justices (Antonin) Scalia, (John) Roberts and Alito, which is oriented toward executive power and upholding the authority of the state," Toobin said.

[Clintonfatigued]

This editorial is complete absurdity, but you can gain some insight into The Left’s radical mindset by reading it.

[expatpat]

Ginsberg is ‘moderate’???!!?

[Bear_Slayer]

Strong reasons to elect a conservative in 08.

Notice that I said conservative and not republican.

[Clintonfatigued]

That was my reaction, too.

[1rudeboy]

One can tell it’s election season when the MSM begins speaking of the Supreme Court.

[capt. norm]

Only in Seattle or San Francisco could Ruth Bader Ginsberg be considered a moderate.

[Clintonfatigued]

That is SO true.

[maine-iac7]

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

[skinkinthegrass]

...talk about, zeroing-in on "the stakes" of the next federal election....three Hillarys on the USSC

[vbmoneyspender]

"There is a difference between the conservatism of a Sandra Day O'Connor, which is by nature libertarian, and 'conservative' as defined by Justices (Antonin) Scalia, (John) Roberts and Alito, which is oriented toward executive power and upholding the authority of the state," Toobin said.

LOL. She sure restrained the power of the state in her McCain-Feingold decision.

[wagglebee]

As soon as I read the part about Ginsberg, Stevens and Souter being “moderate,” I quit reading.

[CaptRon]

'conservative' as defined by Justices (Antonin) Scalia, (John) Roberts and Alito, which is oriented toward executive power and upholding the authority of the state," Toobin said.

Pure BS.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Yup, attempting to move the far-left political horizon to the middle of the field. Why don’t we try doing that with the right ? I’m declaring myself a moderate, and anyone who scores below a 90 from the ACU is now a Stalinist. There, now doesn’t that feel good ?

[fieldmarshaldj]

“Authority of the state” ? A concept only something a leftist can love. Which one of those “Conservative authorities” voted for Kelo again ?

[Always Right]

LOL, moderates = far-leftwing kooks.

[puroresu]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ideological spectrum:

RIGHT-WING EXTREMIST: Duncan Hunter

ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE: Fred Thompson

MAINSTREAM CONSERVATIVE: Rudy Giuliani

MODERATE: Barbara Boxer

MILDLY LEFT OF CENTER: Mao Tse-Tung

[Tarpon]

They meant moderate Communist. All things are relative to your starting point.

[savedbygrace]

The only way Ginsberg is a moderate is, she only sleeps a moderate percentage of the time while the Court is hearing arguments.

You know, moderate, like 40 to 60 percent of the time.

[BenLurkin]

A “moderate” what?

Good grief!