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...
I was actually about to specify handicapped until I saw you threw in paraplegic at the end.
The worst fears of ours about to become reality. Stevens and Ginsburg were hanging on just for this time. Hopefully that idiot Anthony Kennedy has enough sense to stay on.
A minimum of 2, most likely 3.
Since Obama gets to pick two, why not a married gay judge couple?
It would be historic.
A HUGE missed opportunity.
Make her blind and you got a deal.
Is Stevens a RINO?
If he is not a Dem, why wouldn’t he retire while Bush was still in office?
Probably a dumb question, but there it is.
OMG Affirmative action is alive and well.
I would say at least 3, maybe as many as 5.
Left out blind, midget, and bipolar.
The court is technically 7R-2D. Stevens is indeed a RINO. Only the 2D’s are Clintoon appointees. Stevens didn’t retire during Dubya’s term because he wanted a leftist replacement that only a moonbat rodent administration could provide.
Some say there is already one on the bench- SOuter. I don’t know.
How 'bout gettin' us a left-handed, red-headed, one-eyed, stuttering, transvestite-lesbian, Asian, co-joined "little person" with polio and acne for a Supreme?
At least an Hispanic judge would have an excuse for disregarding the constitution-— Its written in ENGLISH!
That'll be taking place right after the swine flyover.
that’s why i did not want a democrat to win the presidency.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but why is this not considered racist and sexist?
But some people here said "We don't care about having radicals on the Supreme Court" by staying at home. Thanks to their selfishness, we will all suffer.
They should be the first to suffer under the Obama administration.
He'll have the opportunity for two appointments by the end of January, 2009. As soon as he walks into the Oval Office after the inaugural parade, Stevens and Ginsberg will have their retirement announcements on his desk.
Hey, Barack... To the best of my knowledge, we've never had a left-handed dwarf as a Supreme Court Justice (physical dwarves, that is, not mental ones, so Souter doesn't count).
Grab your chance to really make history, BO baby, and nominate one of those... Or maybe a conjoined siamese twin pair - that would really be 'change', wouldn't it... Or, or, how about a Hispanic woman?
Lord, please let nothing happen to any of the fab four.
That's one reason that the SC nominations were not that big of an issue for me in this campaign.
Would I rather have had McCain making the selections than Obama? Sure.
But, the oldest justices are the most liberal. Chances are that any retirements will simply replace one liberal with another.
Long past that! Just an open Liberal.
1) Boy George
2) Pee Wee Herman
Obama throws a bone to the transgendered community.
My take on this from the other day (ahead of the MSM as usual) is here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128330/posts
Based on their hiring criteria, a gay, black woman, or a transgendered hispanic, or a left-handed, red-headed Asian bisexual would be the perfect choice.
Based on their hiring criteria, a gay, black woman, or a transgendered hispanic, or a left-handed, red-headed Asian bisexual would be the perfect choice.
I don’t see Boy George getting it- he’s British. I think you have to be an American citizen to be appointed.
Of course, I thought you had to be an American citizen to be President, too, but not if the MSM covers foreign birth up.
So nice I said it twice.
Note to self: wait 45 seconds after clicking to post.
You forgot to make him/her handicapped.
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