Posted on 11/10/2008 7:09:07 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
President-elect Barack Obama may have the rare chance to appoint two judges to the Supreme Court, giving the former law professor an opportunity to make a further lasting mark on American society.
Already observers are weighing in on what Obama could do in the key decision on replacements for the highest court in the land.
"It is quite likely he would choose a woman or a minority," said Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at Columbia University in New York.
"If he could find a Hispanic woman, that would be ideal, the best choice," he added.
Only two women have served on the Supreme Court, and two African-Americans have succeeded one another in the same seat, but never has an judge with a Latino background been appointed.
Hispanics are an ever-growing demographic in the United States, making up 15 percent of the population.
But beyond the race or sex of the candidate, observers are gearing up for appointments of politically progressive judges to the bench to replace the older liberals sitting on it today.
John Paul Stevens, appointed by president Gerald Ford, is 88 years old, and is expected to resign soon.
The nine justices are appointed for life.
Widely considered to be on the liberal side of the court, Stevens' replacement with another liberal would maintain the bench's fragile balance.
Currently four conservatives, four liberals, with the moderate Anthony Kennedy holding the middle ground, compose a balance Obama is expected to sustain.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75, appointed by president Bill Clinton, is another liberal lifer also expected to resign within Obama's first term in office.
During Obama's campaign the Democrat hinted at what he expected of his appointees, and certainly could surprise conservative commentators expecting him to name someone more radical to the post.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Bolshevik 1 and Bolshevik 2. God help us.
As with every adminsitration, there will be two factions in the Obama White House on the judicial appointment issue. One will be confrontationalists, who want to appoint an openly raidcal nominee with Democrat votes alone. On the other, there will be those with a more accomidationalist mode, wanting to appoint a judge who could prolong the Presidential honeymoon and win a mandate vote without stirring up a lot of controversy.
Replacing Ginsberg and Stevens with two other lefties won’t change anything. Just a missed opportunity to cement a conservative court for the next two decades or more.
This was not one of the particularly scary aspects of an Obama presidency. The conservative justices that are getting on in years (such as Scalia) will die on the bench before they let Obama name replacements. If Stevens and Ginsburg are replaced, it’s not like the court can get any farther left. They’ll be replaced with clones.
It’s what happens after those two justices retire (or, God forbid, a second term) that scares me.
If they replace two other Bolsheviks (Stevens and Ginsburg) the court power balance will remain the same.
Anyone is better than Ginsburg. Obamanation can’t go wrong here.
How about a transsexual Aztec?
....That is if it is not two of the good ones. It may be Stevens and Ginsburg are more likely, but our luck is not that good recently.
But let’s see if Republicans have enough Senate votes to filibuster judges.
Is that gang of 14 rule still in effect, that filibusters can only be done in extraordinary circumstances?
Of course Democrats agreed to that when the split was 55 Republican 45 Democrat. Is it 58 Democrats now, including Lieberman and Bernie Sanders? And did Al Franken steal that Minnesota election yet?
Unless one of the right leaning judges quits/dies...or becomes incapacitated...nothing is going to change.
Probably 3 will step down to allow a Lib lifetime replacement. Perhaps 1 more due to health/age.
He’ll replace libs with libs.
With all the agitation about homosexual marriage, I am waiting for the homosexual community to weigh in. Maybe it’s about time a gay justice was on the court, according to their thinking?
Republicans play by the rules and vote to confirm if a nominee is qualified.
Democrats whine if the nominee does not pass their ideological litmus tests.
A cross dressing left-handed lesbian Hispanic/Pacific Islander/Hmong paraplegic Communist of color would be the best of all.
If Obama picks a young Justice, there is still the wild possibility that Scalia will convert em.
Great this makes me feel...no better at all...
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