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crin63
05-01-2009, 12:25 AM
Unfortunately Obama makes to pick a Justice. Another lousy Liberal to undermine the Constitution, Liberty and America.


NPR.org, April 30, 2009 · NPR has learned that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the current court term.

The vacancy will give President Obama his first chance to name a member of the high court and begin to shape its future direction.

At 69, Souter is nowhere near the oldest member of the court. In fact, he is in the younger half of the court's age range, with five justices older and just three younger. So far as anyone knows, he is in good health. But he has made clear to friends for some time that he wanted to leave Washington, a city he has never liked, and return to his native New Hampshire. Now, according to reliable sources, he has decided to take the plunge and has informed the White House of his decision.

Factors in his decision no doubt include the election of President Obama, who would be more likely to appoint a successor attuned to the principles Souter has followed as a moderate-to-liberal member of the court's more liberal bloc over the past two decades.

In addition, Souter was apparently satisfied that neither the court's oldest member, 89-year-old John Paul Stevens, nor its lone woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had cancer surgery over the winter, wanted to retire at the end of this term. Not wanting to cause a second vacancy, Souter apparently had waited to learn his colleagues' plans before deciding his own.

Given his first appointment to the high court, most observers expect Obama will appoint a woman, since the court currently has only one female justice and Obama was elected with strong support from women. But an Obama pick would be unlikely to change the ideological makeup of the court.

Souter was a Republican appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, largely on the recommendation of New Hampshire's former Gov. John Sununu, who had become the first President Bush's chief of staff.

But Souter surprised Bush and other Republicans by joining the court's more liberal wing.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103694193

emmett
05-01-2009, 01:18 AM
Unfortunately Obama makes to pick a Justice. Another lousy Liberal to undermine the Constitution, Liberty and America.


One sure fire way to turn a conservative judge into a liberal one is let them spend some time in the Supreme Court.

Kathianne
05-01-2009, 05:24 AM
Reflecting on Emmett's post, the only 'sure' thing about SCOTUS judge's is one never knows which way they'll rule. Many a 'liberal' turns into a strict interpretationist and vice versa.

In any case, Souter has basically aligned with the liberal members, so no 'real change' in the make up. Ginsburg was expected, this was not.

mundame
05-01-2009, 08:09 AM
At 69, Souter is nowhere near the oldest member of the court. In fact, he is in the younger half of the court's age range, with five justices older and just three younger. So far as anyone knows, he is in good health. But he has made clear to friends for some time that he wanted to leave Washington, a city he has never liked, and return to his native New Hampshire.


Amazing. They have all just been waiting, holding out grimly, till a Dem was elected! That's how it looks, anyway. At sixty-nine Souter is in the YOUNGER half??



In addition, Souter was apparently satisfied that neither the court's oldest member, 89-year-old John Paul Stevens, nor its lone woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had cancer surgery over the winter, wanted to retire at the end of this term. Not wanting to cause a second vacancy, Souter apparently had waited to learn his colleagues' plans before deciding his own.

The senators and justices cling to their offices YEARS beyond normal retirement. Why, I often wonder? Such a spectacle as Specter actually changing parties at age 79 so he can keep his grip on power till death, presumably --- it doesn't seem somehow quite decent to me.

Maybe I'm being ageist. Maybe when (if) I'm 89, I'll sympathize with Justice Stevens --- why should he give it up if he can do the job and likes it?

Little-Acorn
05-01-2009, 11:04 AM
Maybe when (if) I'm 89, I'll sympathize with Justice Stevens --- why should he give it up if he can do the job and likes it?

Stevens has been unable to do the job practically from Day 1. Specifically, the job of upholding and protecting the U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Let me know when he starts doing that.

Back to the subject:

Unfortunately Obama makes to pick a Justice. Another lousy Liberal to undermine the Constitution, Liberty and America.
The good news is, Obama replacing this liberal with another, won't change the makeup of the court. Same goes for if/when he replaces Ginsburg and Stevens.

The bad news is, the liberals he replaces them with, will be there for 30+ years.

Elections have consequences. This is one of them.

Mr. P
05-01-2009, 12:17 PM
I think there should be an age limit when they MUST retire. Heck the Gov forces airline pilots out at 60, supposedly to protect a 100 or so people from harm. The SCOTUS can change the country for EVERYONE with a ruling..do we really want those rulings made by someone with "Ole timers" disease?

I used to have to take a psychological test every yr to see if the mind was still working well..I'll bet the SCOTUS justices don't have to do that.

Joe Steel
05-01-2009, 12:29 PM
This is better than nothing but not nearly as good as impeaching the RATS and replacing them.

PostmodernProphet
05-01-2009, 03:55 PM
This is better than nothing but not nearly as good as impeaching the RATS and replacing them.

I wonder if he still has his vacation home to retire to.....as I recall, someone was trying to have it seized by eminent domain and sold to some business developer.......

Mr. P
05-01-2009, 04:09 PM
I wonder if he still has his vacation home to retire to.....as I recall, someone was trying to have it seized by eminent domain and sold to some business developer.......

Not 100% sure but I think that did happen.

theHawk
05-02-2009, 02:34 PM
I caught a little bit of Rush this week, he was playing clips from old Obama interviews. Scary stuff what this man thinks. He wants a judge that will seek "economic and social justice" as opposed to legal justice for the Supreme Court.