Does anybody think Stevens will retire during a Republican presidency?
I have a question for informed freepers. Just how much significance does the Chief Justice have? He doesn't have a greater voice does he? His vote still only counts as one vote. Now, don't they all have to vote on which cases to take? So, just what is the significance of that role, other than having organizational/leadership duties? Does the CJ have more power over which cases the court takes or any other significant power that I don't know about?
Expect one of three seats to be filled, yielding seven justices. The Senate will filibuster the other two until the next recess, at which time Bush will appoint two more members. Looks to be a high old time on the Court.
Actually, Judge Sandra Day O'Connor stated she would stay on until her replacement is confirmed. By delaying Judge Roberts' confirmation, Teddy "The Swimmer" Kennedy and "Up" Chuck Shumer have allowed the President to withdraw his nomination to O'Connor's seat keeping her on the bench for a while longer -- maybe an entire term the way the DemonRATS are operating -- and to nominate Judge Roberts, who is not yet 51, as the Chief Justice.
Had the idiots on the left side of the Senate simply confirmed Roberts, the president would have been unlikely to nominate him and then nominate yet another replacement. Since the President would likely have not found another 50-year-old jurist with Roberts' qualifications, the DemonRATS all but guaranteed the Chief Justice will be a young man rather than an older individual which they undoubtedly would have preferred. Once again, the "brilliant" DemonRATS were outmaneuvered by a man they consider "the village idiot".
I see a lot of cars around here (Massghanistan) with the rather nasty bumper sticker: "Some village in Texas is missing its idiot." My response is: "I know of two villages in Massaghanistan that know where their idiots are."