There's a short list of great Supreme Court nominees - why are there so many ridiculous suggestions

[Ocelot II]

on DU for nominations of people who are far less qualified? Because they're famous, or are/were successful as politicians, or because their nominations would piss off the MAGAts or upset Clarence Thomas? Seriously? Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman, and the short list is said to include Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, South Carolina U.S. District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs, Minnesota Federal District Judge Wilhelmina Wright, Circuit Judge Eunice Lee, Circuit Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, and civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill. Can someone explain to me why any of these highly-qualified, distinguished women should be passed over in favor of people who haven't practiced law in decades (if ever), or have never been judges or practicing lawyers, or are over sixty but are either popular or would piss off the GOP? I'm surprised nobody has suggested Oprah yet. You don't choose a Supreme Court justice because they're famous or popular or annoying to Republicans. Why not trust Biden's judgment on this?

[AlexSFCA]

1. the younger the better

[Budi]

3. One doesn't become a juris doctorate in a few years.

I'd hope that professionalism, education & dedication to the years of experience necessary to be seated on the SC would be the 1st qualifiers.

Otherwise we end up with the pilgrim Coney Barrett & that beer guzzeling, womanizing frat boy Kavanaugh.

Biden's choice will check all the boxes & he will not fail us.
It's not really about age, but I get your point as to longevity in that SC position.

[Ocelot II]

6. Agree - too young and inexperienced isn't good either.

By the time you've had a chance to be a federal judge you're probably at least 45. But that isn't old (at least from where I sit)..

[iemanja]

11. 3 years

Is how long it takes to get a law degree. Three years of classes plus the bar exam.

[Budi]

12. Followed by experience on the Fed bench + + ...

[iemanja]

15. Yes, that experience is very important

but the degree does not take long to get.

[ShazzieB]

19. Preceded by 4 years of college.

So 7 years of post-secondary education all together. Still, most people graduate law school while still in their 20s.

[WarGamer]

8. Judge Jackson is 51

[Celerity]

14. Leondra Kruger is 45, was nominated and confirmed to the CA Supreme Court in 2014, and has argued

more cases before the US Supreme Court than any other black women in US history. She was the youngest woman ever on the CA Supreme Court, and the 3rd youngest overall CSC Justice. She clerked for SCOTUS Justice John Paul Stevens. Neal Katyal said she is one of, if not the single greatest legal mind he has encountered.

There also is symbolic weight if she took the Breyer seat, as she is half Jewish (her mum is black Jamaican, her father an eastern European Jew), and that seat, other than Harry Blackmum, has been held by a Jewish Justice for almost a century, starting with Benjamin Cardozo, who succeeded Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

[littlemissmartypants]

22. I love it when you enter the conversation! Thank you. ❤

[Celerity]

25. Awe, thanks :)

[AlexSFCA]

23. sounds fantastic!

[fescuerescue]

34. I know a really sharp gal who graduates High School this June.

I think many law schools would look on her favorably for admission to have Supreme Court justice experience.

[Hoyt]

2. +1. Definitely, don't choose someone popular (today) or annoying to GOPers.

This is not a time to extract revenge on the worst Prez of all times and his rube supporters.

Obviously, anyone who gets our — and Democratic official’s — support will tick off GOPers. But that’s not the goal.

[Jeebo]

4. I haven't heard anybody suggest Loretta Lynch yet.

The former U.S. attorney general under Obama. I'm surprised I haven't heard anybody mention her. She's in her 60s though, and I would prefer somebody who's about 35 or 40 who'll be there for 50 years.

-- Ron

[Ocelot II]

5. Her age is probably an issue - best to appoint someone who's likely to be around for a long time.

[Demsrule86]

26. Nope we need a younger person.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. The good news is that Biden has a top search team out...

and doesn't listen to us so much.

[fishwax]

9. it's fun to speculate, I'd imagine

[Sewa]

21. The no fun zone

Some people just hate to see other people have fun💀🤙

[iemanja]

10. People love to pretend they know everything

and they think being on TV qualifies someone for any job. I find it ridiculous that people think they know who the nominee will be. Biden doesn't even know yet.

[onenote]

13. I suspect that Biden knows who he's going to nominate.

[iemanja]

16. How?

He hasn't had time to meet with potential nominees yet. Presidents don't typically pull names out of a hat. They vet nominees carefully, and that includes sitting down with the President.

[Hekate]

17. Because he's been thinking about it since the debate in S. Carolina, when he was pressed...

… by James Clyburn to make public his promise to appoint a Black Woman to the SCOTUS.

Joe Biden was already thinking about it then.

[onenote]

18. He made a pledge during the campaign to name a Black woman.

I'm sure he's had a team putting together a short list since before Inauguration Day. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if he had met (virtually) with some of them. Jackson, for example, was undoubtedly vetted before she was nominated by Biden for a seat on the DC Circuit last spring.

[UTUSN]

20. Because it's an internet board?

[Slammer]

24. KH

I thought the "Kamala Harris" suggestion was interesting.

She had a hard time running her presidential campaign and now she's had repeated troubles running her VP office.

She might be better suited for the court than running mini-bureaucracies.

[Ocelot II]

28. And then Biden would have to nominate a replacement,

who would have to be approved by both houses of Congress. How long do you think that would take, and how much of another mess that would be? Terrible idea.

[demmiblue]

27. K&R

I'm surprised nobody has suggested Oprah yet.

Don't give people any ideas!!1!!11

[Bettie]

29. Um, it's an internet board

and frankly, it's fun to imagine some things that would make some of the more odious right wingers uncomfortable.

And, here's the big one: NO one cares what we say. Unless you are secretly someone important, our flippant comments mean less than nothing to anyone who really matters. That's just a fact.

I doubt anyone here on DU has any influence whatsoever over the eventual pick.

[BlackSkimmer]

30. Same reason some here were so hot for Avenatti and/or Oprah to run for president.

I think there are many who worship celebrity. I never understand that.

[Solomon]

31. Hey. Let's all enjoy this wonderful occasion. We don't normally get slam

dunks like this one will be.

[MineralMan]

32. Because too many people are not thinking logically.

They're thinking with the emotional parts of the brain engaged, but not the logical, rational parts.

They propose people like Michelle Obama because they don't really understand what it means to be a SCOTUS justice. They also ignore the fact that she and Barack Obama have zero interest in being on the Supreme court. They like those two, so why not put them on the court, see...

We had people suggesting that Oprah Winfrey run for President, too. None of it makes any sense at all, and wastes everyone's time, since serious people want to explain why not.

Now, Barack Obama is qualified to be a justice, but no two-term President is going to want that job. It's ridiculous to propose such a thing. Michelle Obama is not qualified for the job, really.

President Biden will nominate someone who is qualified and who fulfills his promise to appoint a Black woman to the court. However, we'll still have a 6-3 SCOTUS. Let's have Clarence Thomas resign, too. He has massive conflicts of interest. He won't resign, though, and neither will the other conservative justices. Not now.

I still imagine that Hillary Clinton went to the White House. Imagine how the court would look now had that happened. But, we didn't get quite enough votes to put her in that office. It was probably stolen from her, but that's history. If only everyone who voted for Jill Stein had voted for Hillary, though, she would have become President. Sadly, that did not happen.

[Caliman73]

33. Because people are reacting emotionally.

If you note, the suggestions are usually for people who will "piss someone off" whether it is Clarence Thomas, Trump, etc... the suggestions of Michelle or Barak Obama, Anita Hill, etc... are meant as a thumb in the eye of someone on the other side.

Some people are just blowing off steam. Others are likely fried and are being lead by their emotional responses.

You aren't going to stop those types of suggestions on a political forum opinion board. You can either argue the point, or just ignore it.

[Deep State Witch]

35. Sherrilyn Ifill Would Be AWESOME

And didn't she just leave her job as head of the NAACP Legal Defense?

Not that all of these distinguished jurists aren't qualified. They certainly are.