Posted on 07/01/2005 8:40:16 AM PDT by bigsoxfan
(CNSNews.com) - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her resignation on Friday. She said she will stay on until her successor is named and confirmed.
The White House said President Bush would make a statement in the White House Rose Garden sometime after 11 a.m., but press reports said he was not expected to nominate O'Connor's successor at that time.
The timing of O'Connor's announcement, coming on a slow news day before the long holiday weekend, caught much of Washington by surprise; but for weeks, press reports have speculated that either O'Connor or Chief Justice William Rehnquist -- or both -- probably would step down.
Any retirement on the nation's highest court is expected to unleash a tug-of-war between liberals and conservatives who see the Supreme Court as the ultimate backstop for their respective agendas.
Some lawmakers were ready with their responses, the moment word of O'Connor's retirement broke.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), himself a former Texas Supreme Court justice, had words of praise for O'Connor, saying that under her "steady hand, America has weathered some of the most heated legal controversies our nation has ever endured."
During her time on the court, Cornyn said, O'Connor "restored a measure of commonsense to our criminal justice system, a measure of respect for our nation's allocation of power between the states and the federal government, and a measure of freedom in the public square to people of faith."
Although he has not always agreed with her rulings, Cornyn said, "I have always felt a deep and abiding respect for her commitment to public service and reverence for the law."
O'Connor is 75 years old and her husband is said to be in poor health.
Looking ahead to the battle that O'Connor's retirement is sure to spark, Cornyn said he's sure that President Bush will nominate an "able jurist" - but he expressed concern about the treatment that nominee will receive from the president's opponents.
"During the past four years, we have seen unprecedented obstruction, partisanship, and venomous personal attacks dominate the Senate's judicial confirmation process," Cornyn said.
"But the process ahead offers a fresh start, one that must be guided by an appreciation of the high office involved, and a personal respect for the individuals who stand as nominees."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), speaking on the Senate floor shortly after O'Connor announced her resignation, said she has "served with distinction" and lived up to her promise to "do the best job" she could possibly do.
'When my successor is confirmed...'
"Dear President Bush," O'Connor's brief resignation letter began:
"This is to inform you of my decision to retire from my position as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Untied States, effective upon the nomination and confirmation of my successor.
"It has been a great privilege, indeed, to have served as a member of the Court for 24 terms.
"I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the Court and its role under our constitutional structure."
Judge Robert Bork, a favorite of conservatives, speculated that President Bush would name another woman to replace O'Connor.
That guessing game -- who will he name? -- is likely to be a main topic among the politically inclined throughout the holiday weekend.
She's still retiring? I thought she might have changed her mind since the last time this story was posted.
I guess she feels like she's done enough damage.
Yeah. Justice O'Connor -- good bye, good luck, and good riddance.
We can't say it too often: "Don't let the door hit ya!"
Well when she gets compliments from "Ted Kennedy" you know she's been something other than conservative.
Early in her career as Associate Supreme Court Justice, commenting on the 1973 Supreme Court decision "Roe vs. Wade" that legalized abortion, Sandra Day O'Connor said "Roe is on a collision course with itself and medical reality." So how come the "collision" never occured? Has O'Connor changed her views on abortion?
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