Posted on 09/02/2009 11:42:16 AM PDT by Conservativism
WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has hired fewer law clerks than usual, generating speculation that the leader of the court's liberals will retire next year. If Stevens does step down, he would give President Barack Obama his second high court opening in two years. Obama chose Justice Sonia Sotomayor for the court when Justice David Souter announced his retirement in May. Souter's failure to hire clerks was the first signal that he was contemplating leaving the court. Stevens, 89, joined the court in 1975 and is the second-oldest justice in the court's history, after Oliver Wendell Holmes. He is the seventh-longest-serving justice, with more than 33 years and eight months on the court. In response to a question from The Associated Press, Stevens confirmed through a court spokeswoman Tuesday that he has hired only one clerk for the term that begins in October 2010. He is among several justices who typically have hired all four clerks for the following year by now. Information about this advance hiring is not released by the court but is regularly published by some legal blogs.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
It could also be that people he interviews and offers clerkships to leave thinking, “Gee, I want to clerk for a justice of the Supreme Court, but I just can’t work for this malignant rectal opening.”
If he’s smart, he’ll put Michelle my bell on there....
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