The Favorites To Be The Next Supreme Court Justice

[Tx4obama]

The Supreme Court Farm Team
by Jeffrey Toobin

Not so suddenly, there’s an elderly quartet at the Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg just turned eighty-one, and she’s followed closely in age by Antonin Scalia, seventy-eight; Anthony Kennedy, seventy-seven; and Stephen Breyer, seventy-five. None of these Justices has signalled a desire to leave the Court anytime soon, but time catches up with everyone.

If President Obama has another chance to fill another vacancy (or more) on the Court, he will be in a very different position than he was when he nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in the first and second years of his Presidency. Presidents generally pick Justices who were appointed to the federal appellate courts by Presidents of their own party; given enough time, they can pick federal judges whom they appointed themselves. Now, unlike in 2009 and 2010, Obama has his own farm team of appellate judges. According to Obama Administration insiders (and knowledgeable outsiders), here is a preliminary list of possibilities.

-snip-

Full article with LIST of names with summaries AND two more paragraphs at the end of the article here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2014/03/the-supreme-court-farm-team.html

Some other possibilities in the OP here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251299531
and a few more in Comment #24, here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251299531#post24

[femmocrat]

1. I hope Ginsburg lives to be 100 (or more)!

God bless her!

[blkmusclmachine]

2. ,

,

[davidpdx]

3. Kelly has a good background as a public defender

That would help with criminal cases that came before the court. I think another woman on the court is highly likely especially if it is to replace Ginsberg. I keep hoping the next one to go will be Scalia and that it will be a very painful death.

[Kablooie]

4. But what happens if he has a solid Republican Senate and House to deal with.

After this fall that may be what he will have to contend with.

[Tx4obama]

5. Only the Senate gets a vote on judicial nominees, so the House isn't a factor...

... as far as a vote goes.

And the article addresses the possibility of the GOP taking the Senate in 2014 - article says Millet and Kelly would have an easier time getting confirmed than the others listed in the article.

But there is a chance that the GOPers in the Senate would refuse to vote for anyone at all - and then all hell would break out!

[tritsofme]

6. Democrats must hold onto the Senate majority, even at 50-50.

Republican "leadership" would be under intense pressure to not hold any confirmation votes, let alone on Supreme Court nominees for the remainder of the Obama administration.

[Beacool]

7. Scalia.......

The day that that RW turd leave s the Supreme Court, I'm going to open a bottle of bubbly and get drunk.