Justice Souter announces retirement

[Michael]

WASHINGTON - Justice David Souter is planning to retire after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court, several government sources told NBC News.

Souter's departure, expected once the current term ends in late June, would give President Barack Obama his first chance to nominate a justice. The New Hampshire native, appointed to the court in 1990, is expected to remain on the bench until a successor is confirmed.

Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30508968/)

Well, this is a bit of a surprise - given that Souter is one of the youngest judges on the court! JP Stevens and Ginsburg were the two expected to be replaced by Obama (since both are old and have been in poor health - Stevens is 89 for gawdsakes!).

Btw, for people who love irony, Souter (a Republican) was originally appointed by Reagan because Ken Starr (who was favored) wasn't considered dedicated enough to the rightwing cause. Seems like the conservative brainthrust shot themselves in the foot there since Souter turned out to be one of the court's most reliable liberals (and Ken Starr turned out to be a very reliable wingnut footsoldier).

(It is always scary to see how partisan these appointments have always been)

For the most part, this appointment should be non-controversial - lets hope that Obama doesn't blow it entirely here by pandering to the Republican 'rump' in Congress (which wouldn't surprise me too much).

Fact is the Democrats have the majority and likely will have the full 60 by the time a confirmation vote comes in the fall making the automatic Republican filibuster tactic much less effective. Souter has been a liberal on the court so replacing him with another liberally minded judge won't change SCOTUS one whit.

[Americano]

Yep, no change in SCOTUS unless Obama gets stupid. Souter did comment that his primary reason for retirement was being sick of DC politics.

[Michael]

The only downside here is that I dread having to listen to a bunch of Republicans whinge about "reverse discrimination" against white men (for the next six months), assuming that Obama is going to appoint some woman or black.

Apparently Mark Halpern has already rolled out that bandwagon.

That's going to get really old really quick, given that white males account for over 96% of all Supreme Court justices in American history.

[Americano]

That we'll hear. And hear and hear and....

[Donkey]

The only downside here is that I dread having to listen to a bunch of Republicans whinge about "reverse discrimination" against white men (for the next six months), assuming that Obama is going to appoint some woman or black.

Apparently Mark Halpern has already rolled out that bandwagon.

That's going to get really old really quick, given that white males account for over 96% of all Supreme Court justices in American history.
Or if he pulls the double card and nominates Sonia Sotomayor.

[Americano]

Or if he pulls the double card and nominates Sonia Sotomayor.

An excellent choice. She's always been a centrist and that would play well with the senate social conservatives.

[Donkey]

An excellent choice. She's always been a centrist and that would play well with the senate social conservatives.
I frankly don't give a shit about the senate social conservatives, but picking a minority woman would go over well with a whole host of peoples.

[Americano]

I frankly don't give a shit about the senate social conservatives, but picking a minority woman would go over well with a whole host of peoples.

I care even less for them, my point being they'd have less to rip apart from a political resistance position. Someone from the 9th district would provide better balance for the court but all the right would see is 'left coast'.

[Michael]

Or if he pulls the double card and nominates Sonia Sotomayor.
Looks like the rightwingers agree with you. They have already launched a full-on slime attack on her credibility. All baseless innuendo and vague insults about her intelligence of course.

I'd say that makes her the odds-on favorite. A Hispanic woman would definitely score points on the equity symbolism front.

[Donkey]

Looks like the rightwingers agree with you. They have already launched a full-on slime attack on her credibility. All baseless innuendo and vague insults about her intelligence of course.

I'd say that makes her the odds-on favorite. A Hispanic woman would definitely score points on the equity symbolism front.
I will say one thing though, a woman of Puerto Rican descent is different from other Hispanics because the PRs have never had to deal with being not being citizens. This isn't necessarily relevant to her judgeship of course, it's just a thought that occurs to me from time to time. The "PR experience" is very distinct from the, say, "Mexicen experience" in the states.

[Michael]

Rumor has it that Obama will announce his pick next week...

[Americano]

Rumor has it that Obama will announce his pick next week...

"Obama called Sens. Orrin Hatch and Arlen Specter of the Judiciary Committee, which will review the nominee's record and hold confirmation hearings. Hatch, a Republican, warned the White House on Sunday about selecting a "judicial activist" to the high court. Specter, a moderate, last week switched to the Democratic Party."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/04/obama-calls-senators-on-scotus-pick-hopes-for-progress-by-july/

Hatch, a Utah Mormon, hates Obama, which will make for an interesting sequence of events in the nomination process.

[Evangeline]

Isn't it crazy how the Republicans are already arguing against his pick, when he hasn't even picked anyone yet? They are debating a fantasy. They seem so desperate.

[partofme]

Isn't it crazy how the Republicans are already arguing against his pick, when he hasn't even picked anyone yet? They are debating a fantasy. They seem so desperate.

The republican strategy seems to be to move as far to the right as possible. I wonder how many election cycles they have to blow before they figure out it isn't working.

[Evangeline]

The republican strategy seems to be to move as far to the right as possible. I wonder how many election cycles they have to blow before they figure out it isn't working.

I don't know, it's a weird strategy. I can't say I like it. I do think we need two parties. I don't want the Democrats getting too relaxed. I've never voted for a Republican, so I'm kinda giddy about their epic failure, but it's really not so good for the country for them to veer so sharply right. They only have 25% of American's support right now.

[partofme]

I don't know, it's a weird strategy. I can't say I like it. I do think we need two parties. I don't want the Democrats getting too relaxed. I've never voted for a Republican, so I'm kinda giddy about their epic failure, but it's really not so good for the country for them to veer so sharply right. They only have 25% of American's support right now.

I don't think it's good for the country but on the other hand I think they need to learn a lesson about relying on their base and social conservatives.

[Evangeline]

I don't think it's good for the country but on the other hand I think they need to learn a lesson about relying on their base and social conservatives.

I agree with that.

I don't think they are going to learn any time soon. Boehner, Vitter, Canter are the Republicans speaking up, and all they can say is Obama bad.

Check out their website. I didn't look, but I'll betcha a beer they didn't have that debt counter up there during the Bush years.

http://republican.senate.gov/public/?CFID=2569999&CFTOKEN=25255180

Wow, their whole news page is about what the Democrats are doing. Their whole agenda is NO to Democrats. Nothing about new ideas or better ways.

http://republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.Home

[Michael]

The republican strategy seems to be to move as far to the right as possible. I wonder how many election cycles they have to blow before they figure out it isn't working.
Congressional poll numbers are already showing the Republicans in a nosedive since November 2008.

In other words, they got their butt kicked in November 2008 and their popularity numbers have fallen much further since then.

[Evangeline]

The extremists have a strangle hold on the party. It's going to be so sad for them when America rejects their candidates in 2010.

[Dominick]

The republican strategy seems to be to move as far to the right as possible. I wonder how many election cycles they have to blow before they figure out it isn't working.

The extremists have a strangle hold on the party. It's going to be so sad for them when America rejects their candidates in 2010.
I wouldn't be all that optimistic about that. Stranger things have happened. Never overestimate the general public in a context of commercially motivated media.

[Americano]

I wouldn't be all that optimistic about that. Stranger things have happened. Never overestimate the general public in a context of commercially motivated media.

"No one in this world, so far as I know ... has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."

H.L. Mencken, September 19, 1926

[Michael]

"No one in this world, so far as I know ... has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."

H.L. Mencken, September 19, 1926
I always thought the origin of this quote was P.T. Barnem (the greatest showman on earth!). :ummm:

[Americano]

I always thought the origin of this quote was P.T. Barnem (the greatest showman on earth!). :ummm:

No, it was Mencken.

[partofme]

No, it was Mencken.

It was but for some odd reason it gets attributed with Barnum all the time. I actually heard it quoted as him on another forum. Sort of like how e-mails get sent around attributed to people that have nothing to do with them.

[Americano]

Barnum often gets credit for sayings he didn't make, 'There's a sucker born every minute' being the most common (David Hannum).

[Michael]

Barnum often gets credit for sayings he didn't make, 'There's a sucker born every minute' being the most common (David Hannum).
Yes, that's another "famous" PT Barnum quote! :D