Polish your crystal balls and get your bets down - Who's Obama most likely to appoint to SCOTUS??

[TahitiNut]

For reference, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_nominees_to_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

Other could be Barrington Daniels Parker, Jr. (born 1944), Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Ann Claire Williams (born 1949), Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Merrick Garland (born 1952), Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, one of several federal district court judges, state supreme court judges, current executive branch officials, state governors, litigators or academics.

It probably goes without saying that the further removed from SCOTUS an appointee is situated, the more difficult it'd be to get confirmation.

Have at it.

:hi:

[OmahaBlueDog]

1. First, let me compliment your logic

The pick needs to be someone born after 1950.

From an exhaustive 30 minutes of research, I like Sotomayor and Wardlaw the most, and I picked Wardlaw.

Both women. Both Hispanic (Sotomayor Puerto Rican; Wardlaw Mexican)

[TahitiNut]

3. Thanks for noticing. Yes, I deliberately listed only those born after 1950.

As a fellow born in 1943, I'd be one of the last to demean the intellect and judicial temperament of someone older, but I think it needs to be a lasting appointment. Furthermore, I harbor a desire to see Obama serve two terms as President and then, if the gods are willing and the creek don't rise, be appointed to the Supreme Court himself, making him the second former President to be appointed to the Court. While I think he'll be a GOOD President, I think he'd be a GREAT Supreme Court Justice, especially after eight years in the Presidency.

[OmahaBlueDog]

5. One could make the same argument for nominating Bill Clinton

...who is well qualified and extremely intelligent, but would want to be in charge and wouldn't want the pay cut.

[LiberalFighter]

18. IMO opinion it should be someone born after 1957 (Should be 52 or younger)

Failing that... their projected life expectancy and service on the court should be at least 20 years.

But still think they should be younger than me that is likely to be more in tune with their community values such as marriage not being a man/woman only.

[OmahaBlueDog]

28. To some extent I agree, but for a 1st pick, I think a Circuit Court judge would be best

Wait until the next pick to put Michelle on the court. ;-)

[StevieM]

43. I'm setting the bar at 1953....mainly because my preferred choice was born in 1953 (eom)

[TahitiNut]

2. I'd personally like to see someone of the caliber of Leah Ward Sears (born 1955)

She's Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, and has indicated her intention to step down, I think in part, at least, due to the Troy Davis decision. She appears to be a Judge possessed of conscience and integrity.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. Good pick...

:thumbsup:

[marimour]

15. totally agree....shes awesome

I think she will be one of the at least 3 that we will get during Obama's term. I just don't think she will be the 1st.

[retread]

41. An excellent choice! n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

4. Other. Hillary Clinton '47

It could work...

:shrug:

[SamCooke]

6. If he doesn't pick a latino, they might turn on him

Chuck Todd is right about that, they are still upset he didn't put a latino in a meaningful position. I don't know if I agree with that. He should pick the best person available for the job.

[cliffordu]

7. Chuckie is thrashing about looking for some kind of angle to diss the Prez with.

He knows fuckall about what the hispanic community wants from President Obama.

He is an ignoramus and a professional concern troll.

He will be at fox within a year. That's my prediction.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

34. "They"? *I* don't know any of my friends or family that feel that way.

Good lord! We're not that shallow!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Ann Claire Williams

August of 1949 is almost 1950. Ray-gun appointed her to the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which lends appeal to rethugs who miss the good ol' days. She considers herself to be an Independent, which to my view, is something every good judge should be when they aren't in the voting booth.

[TahitiNut]

13. As an independent liberal, Michigander, and alumnus of Wayne State U., ...

... I certainly regard her as a very attractive candidate. Her background and temperament would serve her (and us) well on the Court, imho.

[Umbral]

10. They are all too old.

[Unsane]

12. You can't get much younger than born in the mid 50's.

Any younger and they don't have judicial experience.

[Sebastian Doyle]

23. Who cares if they have experience

Opie Roberts never saw the back side of a judicial bench until 2003, yet the Chimp nominated that fool "Chief Justice" and all the Repukes (and far too many "Democrats") voted for him.

Fucker couldn't even get the Presidential oath of office right.

[Unsane]

24. He also had like a 20 year record of arguing before the SCOTUS

He was one of the more prolific SCOTUS advocates of the past 25 years. Kagan has been entirely in academia and will have never argued a case, literally, in her life until she begins her Solicitor General tenure. It would be unprecedented to nominate her to the SCOTUS right now.

[Unsane]

11. I *hope* it's Wardlaw. Young, hispanic, female, progressive, and experienced

She also doesn't have diabetes like Sotomayor (the other hispanic in the running).

[goodgd_yall]

46. I hope so too n/t

[NYC_SKP]

14. Ya know, if you write "polish your...balls" and "SCOTUS" in your subject line about a "poll"...

My mind is gonna go straight to one place.

I just can't help it.

I think you did that on purpose. :P

[TahitiNut]

16. "On purpose"? Moi?

O8)






:P

[NYC_SKP]

20. I know it, I just know it....

Over the next few weeks we're gonna see lots of threads about Obama's SCOTUS.

And, again, my mind is gonna go there.

I can't help it! :P

[TahitiNut]

25. It's to be expected. We've been awash in teabaggers.

:rofl:

[leftofthedial]

17. I don't think he wants to upset the republicans. After all, he still needs their

support for his agenda and important things like health care and green initiatives and free ice cream for every American and stuff.

So I think he'll probably nominate Newt Gingrich.

[LiberalFighter]

19. For what? A court position in Iraq?

[leftofthedial]

22. Or maybe Tom Delay.

He has lots of recent legal experience...

[usregimechange]

21. How do you not include Kagan?

[TahitiNut]

30. I think it's clear from my OM.

I listed the younger Courts of Appeals judges. (DU polls are limited to ten choices.) While the media may hype one or another candidate, often based on talking to insider advocates, it seems clear that others are more qualified in terms of experience on the bench and as litigators of Constitutional issues than Kagan. That's not to demean or diminish her evident skills and talents, but considering all things including Senate confirmation (and each candidate's history of dealing with the Senate confirmation process) one could reasonably argue in favor of several other people.

I don't think Obama would relish a overly dramatic confirmation fight -- unless he thinks it's unavoidable.

[MADem]

26. I think the appointment needs to move the court towards looking more like America.

For this reason it really needs to be a female appointee, and an underrepresented 'faction.' Someone of latin heritage would be a good choice and send a strong signal, IMO. We're overdue for representation in that demographic, and we really do need to plus up the female representation on the court as well. Five of those nine should really be women, if we're going by population and actuarial tables!

[uponit7771]

27. Please Obama, pick a well qualified Latino woman. It would be fitting & make kkkon heads explode

[CTyankee]

38. It would give Pat Buchanan something to yell about every time he is on Morning Joe

and the other MSNBC shows he's on regularly. That is, if he doesn't have a fatal coronary upon the actual Senate approval of a Hispanic woman to the high court.

[harun]

29. I encourage everyone to read the Wiki link. If you look at some of the quotes

from Obama about current justices I think we are set for him to make a GREAT pick.

[Dinger]

31. Jonathan Turley

[Pacifist Patriot]

32. Someone had to say it.

[TahitiNut]

40. At this point, that'd be the same as arguing for Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General.

:shrug:

There ARE some far more qualified people who DON'T appear on the boob tube.

[harun]

33. Wardlaw FTW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_McLane_Wardlaw#Notable_Cases

[Unsane]

37. this is correct

[gmoney]

35. He'll probably appoint some Democratic senator or governor

...someone who's fought hard to get into a position of authority and influence over policy... who will then be replaced by a Republican or far weaker Democrat when yoinked and put into the SCOTUS job.

[damonm]

36. Deval Patrick. n/t

[Supersedeas]

39. Allyson K. Duncan

[StevieM]

42. I beat the odds when I predicted Palin as McCain's running-mate. I beat them again when

I predicted Gillibrand to replace Hillary. I'll try to pull off the trifecta.

I'm predicting Robert Katzmann of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Of course, I am also predicting that the next Pope will be a Canadian. So maybe I'm just way too out there with my ideas at this point.

Steve

[backwoodsbob]

44. in all likelyhood most of us will have never heard of the nominee

it WON'T BE GORE,CLINTON,JUDGE JUDY..or any other celebrity picks.

President Obama knows what he is doing.Lets let him pick.

[quiller4]

45. I think Obama will look for a nominee who has held elective

office rather than look at the pool of appelate court judges. Since Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired, there has been nobody on the bench with that background. Obama has remarked about that in speeches and now he has the opportunity to remedy that. I, too, think he will seek to appoint a woman. Of possibilities mentioned Granholm and Gregoire meet both criteria.