Let’s Talk Supreme Court
Any idea who Obama’s going to nominate… and why?
Tags: Obama, Supreme Court
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Any idea who Obama’s going to nominate… and why?
Tags: Obama, Supreme Court
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.
I think it will be Sonia Sotomayor. The next Justice will be a woman, and with Sotomayor you get the distinction of being the first Hispanic justice as well.
I think Sotomayor has to be the top candidate. I read somewhere that her health may be an issue.
I personally like Elena Kagan because she’s young and she’s already been through the process.
Judge Harry Stone due to the fact he’s not doing anything right now.
I predict both Kagan and Sotomayor. Ginsburg will be off the court by the end of summer. Sadly, I don’t believe it to be through retirement.
The Rethugs apparently have their drawers tied in knots b/c Sotomayor voted the ‘wrong’ way in an affirmative action case.
Could you just imagine the ‘more inclusive’ GOP pulling out all stops to keep an Hispanic woman off the bench? Suddenly, ‘bulo has an insatiable urge for some jalapeno-flavored popcorn.
The Republicans would have their underwear in a knot no matter who Obama nominates. I’m sure there’s a 20-year-old footnote somewhere they’ll find objectionable. The Republicans have tipped their hand by saying that they’ll oppose anyone that Obama nominates and Hatch’s bizarre opposition to empathy (he wants psychopaths?).
The Republicans’ problem are that if they get one scalp, what’s next? Will they just keep blocking & blocking & blocking? I hope the Democrats have already made the commercials with Republicans screaming “up or down vote” and “the nuclear option” just to remind everyone what they said before.
The Republicans actually have the huge risk here – they’re not going to be able to indefinitely block a progressive and the more they do the more they look like the party of no.
i know it wont happen THIS time, so dont waste your time telling me what an idiot i am… but lets say Obama gets one.. (RBG is likely) or even two (PLEASE….scalia scalia scalia) does anyone else here think we will see Hillary on the bench?
Hillary would be a great pick, but she is pretty busy these days. Perhaps if someone pops up in 2014.
Maybe, A.Price.
And I think we will see RBG retire before 2012. Stevens, even though he is 89, shows no signs of retiring, but you have to think that, given his age, retirement is always an imminent possibility.
Personally, I view Obama’s presidency as a chance to reinforce the liberal minority, rather than take a seat from the conservative majority on the Court. Roberts, Alito and Thomas are still young and are not going anywhere voluntarily during however long Obama is in office. Scalia is 73, and while he is getting up there, he also shows no signs of retiring especially during Obama’s term(s).
good point… The question now i guess is. What if Obama is like FDR? I mean, we all want him to be great he has the potential… from what i understand, so did Carter… But what if he is able to improve the economy and international relations, and we get working health care? the 2016 replacement will be a sure thing. (not to start speculation on THAT but my money is on Claire McCaskill.) lets say obama appoints Sotomayer this time. Maybe stevens and RBG are the next 2 to go and he just, as you say preserves the balance…. the liberal wing of the court will than be the young one with Kennedy getting older and Dick-lia in his 80s…. My high court wet-dream is HIllary Clinton replacing him. thats a lot of info, but i think somewhere in there i said the next justice will be Sotomayer.. .. that or judge Judy
Here is my thinking:
Roberts will be 62 in 2016. He will be 66 in 2020. He is not going anywhere anytime soon, unless God forbid something tragic happens.
Alito will be 71 in 2020. He is not going anywhere.
Thomas will be 72 in 2020. He is not going anywhere.
Now, Scalia will be 85 in 2020. So I suspect he will wait out Obama’s two terms until 2016 to see who wins that election. If a Democrat wins, he may wait it out to 2020, and then retire no matter what in 2021.
I suspect Kennedy will wait out the first term of Obama, but not the second. He will be 76 in 2012, and 80 in 2016.
I suspect that Obama will get to replace the entire liberal wing (Ginsberg, Breyer (78 in 2016) and Stevens) if he serves two terms.
The only chance I see of Obama or his immediate Democratic successor replacing a conservative vote is if Kennedy retires. I think Scalia will hang on for dear life.
Sotomayer is the conventional choice and politically solves a number of issues for Obama: female, Hispanic, young, in good health and impossible for the republican minority to even bother fighting. On the other hand, she is not considered an intellectual giant, and there are concerns she will not be able to counter the conservative wing on the Court. Morevoer, she is moderate to liberal and will be a disappointment to many who are hoping for a real liberal on the bench.
Obama can take a sure thing now with Sotomayer and wait to put an intellectual liberal on the court later, or he can save her and put a top notch liberal scholar on the bench now while he can. Really, it’s a no lose for Obama. However, Obama has been more pragmatic than advertised (and feared). Here’s a vote it’s Sonia and a payback to the Hispanic community who have been less than thrilled with his (lack of)inclusion of Latinos in his Administration.
After all, if Obama is reelected, he may get four or five nominations, not three as most project. There’s plenty of time for shaping the court later with Kagan and Hillary.
But just imagine the theatre if he nominated Hillary now…….
I’d say stick it up their arses with a Bill Ayers nomination!
LOL.
when HIllary gets nominated, i want there to be 10 republican senators and 4 Super Republicans (the new super conservative party). and i want the Christian Utopia Nation of Texas (get it?) to threaten to cut off the Oil supply we are no longer buying from them. … so 3 years i guess
Janet Napolitano – because she’s been such a horrible failure at Homeland, but they can’t fire her because that would be an admission of failure and would also piss off women voters. Hillary Clinton for the same reasons, although she’s been less of a failure at State.
But most likely it will be Sotomayor, because she’s a Hispanic woman, and she’ll be confirmed.
Notice that none of these picks have anything to do with judicial temperament or philosophy, but who cares about that anyway?
Since when did Republicans care about judicial temperament or philosophy? Roe vs Wade, baby!
Failure?
Is that because a report initiated by Bu$hCo shed some light on the Right’s ugly side?
Yeah, Failure!! LOL!
You know, if it was a year or so down the line and you came up with “Failure” then maybe an inquisitive person might try to find credence in your assessment, but 2 months into it? Whudda joke!
If a proper augment fills a Blue Book, you wrote a sentence and handed it right in!
Again…LOL!!!!
LOL indeed. Especially since G Rex pretty much detailed how it is that the repubs picked their candidates.
And judicial temperament wasn’t it.
Cassandra, I’m pretty sure I’m on record calling the Harriet Miers nomination a dumbass patronage move by GWB.
Seriously? “overseas contingency operations” and “man-caused disasters” oh my!
Oh, and remember when Alberto Gonzo was considered a likely SCOTUS pick?
Good times.
Roberts and Alito were patronage moves too — altho of the kind you wouldn’t have a problem with.
Gonzo on the Supremes — for a guy who can’t find any patronage right now apparently.
No Cass, a patronage move is where you hire somebody completely unqualified because you like them personally and/or owe them a favor. See also: Ted Kaufmann and Carl Danberg. Roberts and Alito are Constitutional purists par excellance. I can only hope you libs get Soutered in reverse!
Constitutional purists par excellance = Patronage.
What you fail to understand is that we get the code words for judicial activism for conservatives. And make no mistake that activism isn’t their project.