Souter Replacements: Obama's Five Likely Picks (SLIDESHOW) (HuffPost)

[jefferson_dem]

Souter Replacements: Obama's Five Likely Picks (SLIDESHOW)

News of Justice David Souter's plan to retire at the end of the Supreme Court's current term immediately set off one of Washington D.C.'s most cherished parlor games: speculating who will take his place.

Long before Souter's decision was known, legal eagles and political observers were taking stabs as to who would be an ideal fit for a Barack Obama Court. Observers believe the Obama is likely to choose a woman, with only one currently serving on the bench. The president's thoughts on judicial philosophy, developed during his years as a law review editor and professor, will also shape his thinking. With that in mind, law blogs, speculative reporters, and (in private) elected officials had already begun bandying names about.

Among those most often mentioned:

Sonia Sotomayor: An Hispanic with 16 years of court experience who currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Sotomayor is a graduate of Yale Law and considered a legal liberal. She also shares a biographical footnote with Souter: they both were appointed by George H. W. Bush -- Sotomayor to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1992.

In a recent Columbia Law School Magazine, Professor Jamal Greene and legal affairs reporter Joseph Goldstein had the following exchange about her prospects.

Greene: I think we all agree it's fairly likely that first appointment will be female. And given the additional qualification that he might want a minority, there is one female, Hispanic Court of Appeals judge, who is a Democrat, .

Goldstein: Sonia Sotomayor.

Greene: She's probably on the short list.

Elena Kagan: The first woman to serve in the post of Solicitor General, she arrived at the Department of Justice from her post as Dean of the Harvard Law School. She served as Associate Counsel to President Bill Clintonand as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Should Obama choose her, it would mean his White House would have to fill another vacancy. But her academic and judicial pedigree seem almost better suited for the Court than as a lawyer arguing before it. Plus, she's already been through the confirmation process.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/30/souter-replacements-obama_n_194288.html

[ThomCat]

1. They all sound good.

But will the democrats on the hill grow enough courage to shut down the republicans in the confirmation battle(s)?

How often has our Majority lost to their Minority simply because Democrats cave in and Republicans don't back down? :grr:

Especially with damned good jurists with some lefty credentials we are going to need Democrats who fight in those confirmation hearings.

[Buzz Clik]

2. Let's start a pool. (Smart money is against Koh)

No way he'd entertain such a notion.

[Supersedeas]

3. Allyson K. Duncan