Sandra Day O'Connor resigns

[The Tower]

That's it, people! Sandra Day O'Connor has resigned. Start packing your bags.

[KarmaContestant]

:( :distress: :eek:

[dissention]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

If there is a God after all, we need his or her help.

[hayley]

I got a true chill running down my spine when I saw and read this article. I've tried to stay away from politics and the news because it's bad for my blood pressure. This is... near panic-worthy.

[gldstwmn]

Holy ****e! I expected Rehnquist, not O'Connor. Fasten your seatbelts. :(

[skcin]

Great. That's just great. :(

[strandinthewind]

Well, if you are not a straight, white, fundamentalist Christian your gooe is cooked as far as not having the govt. interfer with your private life.

Also, she was one of the best jurists out there. I shall miss her greatly.

[SuzeQuze]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

:( :distress: I feel so abandoned.

[macfanken]

So far, everything about the Bush Presidency has been worse beyond anything I imagined... I don't expect this to be any better. :(

[ShangriLaTroubl]

-Checks mapquest to see how many miles it is to Canada--

I'll be in California in 2 weeks, so I should be safe there right? Lol

Chris

[strandinthewind]

So far, everything about the Bush Presidency has been worse beyond anything I imagined... I don't expect this to be any better. :(


The only thing we can put hope in is the D's realize W so far has been a lame duck - I hope this will continue. But, this means two will be appointed as I think Renquist will retire soon as well.

That O'Conner did makes me think her cancer is back, which I hope is not the case.

[ShangriLaTroubl]

The only thing we can put hope in is the D's realize W so far has been a lame duck - I hope this will continue. But, this means two will be appointed as I think Renquist will retire soon as well.

That O'Conner did makes me think her cancer is back, which I hope is not the case.


I was really hoping Bush would in some way only get to nominate one Justice in his 2 terms, but it looks to not be that way

Chris

[macfanken]

A good link...


http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.739023/k.9134/Whats_at_Stake.htm

[thepoetinmyhear]

The only thing we can put hope in is the D's realize W so far has been a lame duck - I hope this will continue. But, this means two will be appointed as I think Renquist will retire soon as well.

That O'Conner did makes me think her cancer is back, which I hope is not the case.

I don't think Renquist will be announcing his retirement this year. If he was planning it, O'Connor's statement would never have been allowed to be released first.

As for hoping for the best, I really don't think Gonzales has a chance at O'Connor's seat.

[strandinthewind]

I don't think Renquist will be announcing his retirement this year. If he was planning it, O'Connor's statement would never have been allowed to be released first.

As for hoping for the best, I really don't think Gonzales has a chance at O'Connor's seat.

Oh - I agree.

Traditionally, now is the time to announce it a la O'Conner - BTW - I found it almost insulting to W the way she did it, but I am sure that subtlety is lost on W a la Ginsberg's slap in the face "I Dissent" in Bush v. Gore.

I think Renquist loves The Court and stay on it as long as possible. I do think though that he will go prior to the 2008 election if it looks like the D's have a chance to win it, which it looks like now.

In the end, Renquist was a very interesting jurist and though I disagreed with him a lot, but not always, in the last decade or so, I admire his intellect, which I cannot say for Scalia or Thomas.

[sparky]

Oh man. Let the battle to put a fascist in there begin. A fascist dressed in a woman's body and/or darker toned skin, which is Shrub's tactic of late. What a disaster.

[DrummerDeanna]

Dark times are ahead. Dark times :distress:

[The Tower]

That O'Conner did makes me think her cancer is back, which I hope is not the case.
I was driving into work this morning listening to Morning Edition when they broke the news. Nina Totenburg has been calling the Supreme Court press corps every morning to check the scoop on whether or not Renquist has resigned and they said, "Why no, but Sandra Day O'Connor is planning on resigning today." :shocked: So, Nina called NPR to tell them.

I was on the freeway and I heard the tag of the story and thought it was Renquist and my heart dropped when they said O'Connor.

Nina Totenburg said she's resigning because her husband is ill and she wants to spend quality time with him in Arizona. Nina was as shocked as the rest of us because O'Connor had a planned schedule for the next Court term wherin her personal business and public appearances were planned around the Court's schedule.

Nina also speculated that Alberto Gonzalez will be a stealth appointee because the senate has already vetted him and confirmed him for Attorney General.

This totally sucks because Dubya will get two court positions. With Stevens at 85 years old (even though he's in good health and vibrant), he'll have to hold on until 2008 (!!!) to prevent the loss of another seat.

So much is going to be affected by this- I have a feeling the Republicans are going to get a wake up call in the 2006 election.

[sparky]

So much is going to be affected by this- I have a feeling the Republicans are going to get a wake up call in the 2006 election.

The general electorate is so ignorant, there will not be a wakeup call until the country is completely in the toilet. But it'll get there. Of that, I am sure.

[Johnny Stew]

The general electorate is so ignorant, there will not be a wakeup call until the country is completely in the toilet. But it'll get there. Of that, I am sure.I was just telling someone that very thing.
Despite my reputation for being an eternal optimist, I think things are going to get much worse before they'll ever start to get better.

[SuzeQuze]

The general electorate is so ignorant, there will not be a wakeup call until the country is completely in the toilet. But it'll get there. Of that, I am sure.

No no no. Please don't say things like that, it breaks my heart. We don't have to keep going down. Keep praying for the health of the justices.

[SuzeQuze]

I was just telling someone that very thing.
Despite my reputation for being an eternal optimist, I think things are going to get much worse before they'll ever start to get better.

You really think this? I'm seeing the tide turning already so I hope it isn't true.

[sparky]

No no no. Please don't say things like that, it breaks my heart. We don't have to keep going down. Keep praying for the health of the justices.

I wish it weren't so. But we are already having 1 slot to contend with. Sad to say, very few people care about this stuff until it shatters their worlds personally. Then, it's a little late.

[SuzeQuze]

I wish it weren't so. But we are already having 1 slot to contend with. Sad to say, very few people care about this stuff until it shatters their worlds personally. Then, it's a little late.

Right, most people have no idea how this affects them personally and probably think it doesn't.

[Johnny Stew]

You really think this? I'm seeing the tide turning already so I hope it isn't true.There's definitely a rise in the amount of people who are more openminded, but I don't think there will be any great change until more people are affected by the erosion of civil rights.
As long as it's happening to "the other guy," it's easy to ignore.

Personally, I'm interested to see what happens when more and more straight couples realize that when their states voted down allowing the recognition of gay civil unions, they also voted down recognizing STRAIGHT civil unions. I think a LOT of people missed that in the fine print.

[The Tower]

The general electorate is so ignorant, there will not be a wakeup call until the country is completely in the toilet. But it'll get there. Of that, I am sure.
I speaking more along the lines of congress rather than the electorate. Most people out there thinks congress blows chunks. I'm envisioning something along the lines of the 1994 election, but in the Democrats favor.

Whenever one party gains too much power they tend to overextend themselves. I think the war over this Supreme Court nominee will be just the thing that stretches the repug congress too far. History has shown that Americans are very skittish about one party holding too much power for a long period of time.

Tom Delay, Valerie Plame, the Supreme Court, Bill Frist, Terry Schaivo... it's all getting to be too much.

[gldstwmn]

I think Renquist loves The Court and stay on it as long as possible. I do think though that he will go prior to the 2008 election if it looks like the D's have a chance to win it, which it looks like now.

In the end, Renquist was a very interesting jurist and though I disagreed with him a lot, but not always, in the last decade or so, I admire his intellect, which I cannot say for Scalia or Thomas.

I'm begining to think Rehnquist will die as Chief Justice before he steps down. That said, I'm unsure of his health. So who know how long it will be? He's written some good decisions but if memory serves, he wrote the dissent for Roe V. Wade. :(

[gldstwmn]

Oh man. Let the battle to put a fascist in there begin. A fascist dressed in a woman's body and/or darker toned skin, which is Shrub's tactic of late. What a disaster.

Hispanic, I bet.

[strandinthewind]

I'm begining to think Rehnquist will die as Chief Justice before he steps down. That said, I'm unsure of his health. So who know how long it will be? He's written some good decisions but if memory serves, he wrote the dissent for Roe V. Wade. :(


I think Roe must be taken in the context of the times. There really had been no application of this right not explicitly listed in the Const. and instead made up from the penumbra of rights the Justices thought surely must be there. It is more complicated than just the new Right to Privacy, but that is it in a nutshell. I have always said I really do not agree with Roe from a legal angle, but the religious conservatives forced it to that point and I am glad it is there.

[strandinthewind]

What a load of CRAP - he will nominate a pseudo Nazi and act put upon when call out on it - FUC^ER :mad:

Bush calls for 'dignified' process
Tough confirmation battle anticipated

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Friday he will pick a successor to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a timely manner so her vacancy can be filled by the time the Supreme Court resumes work in the fall.

The White House said he would not decide before returning from Europe on July 8.

Bush will consult with Republican and Democratic senators about his selection, and would review briefing material on potential nominees on the flight to Denmark next Tuesday and during his stay Wednesday through Friday at the summit of leading industrialized nations, in Gleneagles, Scotland, said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan.

The White House got the first indication of the retirement on Thursday when the Supreme Court's head marshal, Pamela Talkin, called White House counsel Harriet Miers to make arrangements to deliver a sealed envelope the next morning.

Miers informed Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who were having lunch together, that a letter was coming. Talkin informed the White House around 9 a.m. Friday that the letter was from O'Connor, and Miers alerted Bush .

The president spoke with O'Connor before he appeared in the Rose Garden to express appreciation for her 24 years of service.

"For an old ranching girl, you turned out pretty good," he told O'Connor, who grew up on an Arizona ranch. But it was an emotional call, McClellan said. He quoted Bush as telling her, "You're one of the great Americans" and "I wish I were there to hug you."

Met with advisers
After talking with O'Connor and before going to the Rose Garden, Bush held a meeting with senior advisers to talk about the selection process.

The meeting included Cheney, Miers, Lewis "Scotter" Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Counselor Dan Bartlett. Chief of Staff Andy Card participated by telephone from Maine.

"We have had a plan in place ... just in case there was a vacancy," McClellan said.

He said that while the staff has been preparing material on potential nominees, the president has not reviewed the notes but would likely do so on the trip to Europe.

McClellan said the White House would consult with Senate Majority Leader Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee and expressed hope that Democrats would not block a vote on the president's pick.

"I can't imagine that the Democrats would want to engage in controversial tactics when it comes to a nominee for the Supreme Court," he said.

Bush said he would be pick a successor to O'Connor in a timely manner so her vacancy can be filled by the time the Supreme Court resumes work in the fall.

Praise for O'Connor
He praised O'Connor as "a discerning and conscientious judge and a public servant of complete integrity."

Anticipating a tough confirmation battle in the Senate, Bush called for a "dignified" process of considering his nominee.

The president spoke in the Rose Garden shortly after O'Connor announced her resignation after 24 years on the bench.

He pledged to consult with senators about his choice.

O'Connor's retirement caught the White House by surprise. The administration had been preparing for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to step down, and had been mulling how to replace the conservative anchor of the court, according to a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the selection process.(Full story)

Now, the White House has to reexamine its thinking because it faces a vacancy caused by the resignation of a moderate woman instead of a conservative man.

A short list of candidates distributed in the White House within the last week had not included the name of any women or minorities, the official said.

Holiday homework
Bush will have an opportunity to consider his choice during a holiday weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.

"I will be deliberate and thorough in this process," said Bush.

"I have directed my staff, in cooperation with the Department of Justice, to compile information and recommend for my review potential nominees who meet a high standard of legal ability, judgment and integrity, and who will faithfully interpret the Constitution and laws of our country," he said.

"The nation deserves and I will select a Supreme Court that Americans can be proud of," Bush said. "The nation also deserves a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate -- characterized by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote."

"I will choose a nominee in a timely manner so that the hearing and the vote will completed before the new Supreme Court begins" in October, he added.

Bush said he had a warm conversation with O'Connor shortly after the announcement. In his tribute to O'Connor, Bush said she rose above the obstacles of an earlier era to become "one of the most admired Americans of our time."

Bush said he would recommend a replacement who will "faithfully interpret" the laws.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/01/bush.oconnor.ap/index.html

[irishgrl]

You guys know what I think.... :( :shrug:

Ive already signed the NARAL petition and the MOVEON petition...I wish I were made of $$$$ so I could donate too, but its all I can do to even put food on the table.....about all I can do now is PRAY :distress:

[irishgrl]

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WriterFri Jul 1, 3:05 PM ET

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, the panel's senior Democrat, will play key roles in confirmation of a successor to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Here are brief thumbnail sketches of the two senators.

___

SPECTER:

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Specter will control the upcoming confirmation hearings, a task his staff has been working on for months.

But the five-term senator almost missed getting the assignment.

Shortly after winning re-election last fall, Specter angered conservatives long suspicious of him by warning a newly re-elected President Bush that anti-abortion judges would have a difficult time winning Senate confirmation, given Democratic opposition.

The comment sparked an outcry from social conservatives, who waged a campaign to pressure Republican Senate leaders to deny Specter the judiciary committee chairmanship he'd long coveted.

Conservatives eager to see more like-minded judges elevated to the federal courts worry about Specter's moderate politics and maverick style, but Specter ultimately survived that challenge.

The 75-year-old senator, known for a quick mind, sharp tongue and blunt manner, has faced a different challenge of late. He announced in February that he has Hodgkin's disease and has been receiving chemotherapy treatments in Philadelphia. It is the latest in a series of health problems Specter has faced over the years, including a brain tumor.

Specter recently said he expected to complete his cancer treatments later this month.

If Specter becomes unavailable for the task, Sen. Orrin Hatch (news, bio, voting record), R-Utah, a former judiciary committee chairman, would step in to do it.

Specter, who has a law degree from Yale, first made a name for himself in the 1960s as a top aide on the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President Kennedy.

He twice was elected district attorney in Philadelphia. He was elected to the Senate in 1980.

In his second term, Specter attracted national attention and angered women's groups and voters by aggressively questioning law professor Anita Hill during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who remains on the high court.

___

LEAHY:

As the senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, Leahy has led the party through several high-profile confirmation battles, from Thomas for the Supreme Court in 1991 to former Sen. John Ashcroft's nomination to be attorney general in 2001.

He'll play that role again as soon as Bush names his choice for O'Connor's successor.

During the Thomas confirmation hearings, it was Leahy who pressed him to reveal his positions on several issues, including abortion rights. Under that line of questioning, Thomas said he never had discussed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion — a statement Thomas' critics seized upon as proof of his evasiveness.

Of late, Leahy has been the main thorn in Bush's side during a series of filibusters of the president's nominees for the federal courts, whom the senator has judged as being too conservative for lifetime appointments to the bench.

When Republicans complain about Democratic stalling, Leahy often points out that the GOP did the same thing to dozens of judicial nominees during President Clinton's administration.

Leahy, 65, was elected last fall to his sixth term. He was chairman of the judiciary committee at the time of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

He has a law degree from Georgetown University, and was the state's attorney in Chittenden County, Vt., before his election to the Senate in 1974.

a glimmer of hope maybe?

[gldstwmn]

"For an old ranching girl, you turned out pretty good," he told O'Connor, who grew up on an Arizona ranch. But it was an emotional call, McClellan said. He quoted Bush as telling her, "You're one of the great Americans" and "I wish I were there to hug you."



What a dumbass. She probably wanted to slap him. I wonder if she regrets her role in Bush v. Gore?

[strandinthewind]

What a dumbass. She probably wanted to slap him. I wonder if she regrets her role in Bush v. Gore?


I think she refers to herself in that regard so I am unsure she took offense, though I do not think she likes W at all - its just a feeling.

[gldstwmn]

McClellan said the White House would consult with Senate Majority Leader Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee and expressed hope that Democrats would not block a vote on the president's pick.

"I can't imagine that the Democrats would want to engage in controversial tactics when it comes to a nominee for the Supreme Court," he said.

Anticipating a tough confirmation battle in the Senate, Bush called for a "dignified" process of considering his nominee.



Ha! Sounds like he's begging a bit to me. Lame duck! Here's where the rubber meets the road, cowboy. This could get ugly.

[strandinthewind]

Ha! Sounds like he's begging a bit to me. Lame duck! Here's where the rubber meets the road, cowboy. This could get ugly.


He is in deep shiitte and he knows it. He promised the far religious right the moon and he cannot deliver it. Her cannot deliver it because more than 10 Republicans have large pro choice constituencies who elected them for the R's position on terrorism, the support for which is waning. So, we shall see what W has to sell to get his nominee in and exactly who is buying it. As for Frist, his a$$ is cooked and he knows it. I think Evan Bayh will some out smelling the best in this and he will be the D candidate in 2008 for it at least if he can pull this off. I mean look at what the McCain seven did and to the complete chagrain of Frist and W. This will be sooooo interesting. Of course, Rove will haul out the murderer/gay lover schpeel and hope that plays again.

The D's strongest argument is the conservative part of The Court ruled that the govt. can take your house for just compensation and that did not sit well with a huge majority of Americans.

[gldstwmn]

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WriterFri Jul 1, 3:05 PM ET
a glimmer of hope maybe?

Leahy is awesome. He's the guy that Dick Cheney told to go f#ck himself on the Senate floor.
Specter on the other hand is slippery. Sometimes he's alright but he also served on that whitewash know as the Warren Commisssion so take that for what it's worth.

[The Tower]

The D's strongest argument is the conservative part of The Court ruled that the govt. can take your house for just compensation and that did not sit well with a huge majority of Americans.
I don't think they want to bring that up- honey, you got it backwards. The majority opinion on that decision what written by Stevens and supported by the liberal wing.

Scalia, Thomas, O'Connor and (I believe) Kennedy opposed it.

[gldstwmn]

He is in deep shiitte and he knows it. He promised the far religious right the moon and he cannot deliver it. Her cannot deliver it because more than 10 Republicans have large pro choice constituencies who elected them for the R's position on terrorism, the support for which is waning. So, we shall see what W has to sell to get his nominee in and exactly who is buying it. As for Frist, his a$$ is cooked and he knows it. I think Evan Bayh will some out smelling the best in this and he will be the D candidate in 2008 for it at least if he can pull this off. I mean look at what the McCain seven did and to the complete chagrain of Frist and W. This will be sooooo interesting. Of course, Rove will haul out the murderer/gay lover schpeel and hope that plays again.


My personal opinion is that people are tired of hearing about gay marriage when our kids are dying in Iraq.

[gldstwmn]

I don't think they want to bring that up- honey, you got it backwards. The majority opinion on that decision what written by Stevens and supported by the liberal wing.

Scalia, Thomas, O'Connor and (I believe) Kennedy opposed it.

Yup. That whole decision made no sense to me.

[Hawkeye]

Leahy is awesome. He's the guy that Dick Cheney told to go f#ck himself on the Senate floor.
Specter on the other hand is slippery. Sometimes he's alright but he also served on that whitewash know as the Warren Commisssion so take that for what it's worth.

did he rally say f#ck :laugh:

[gldstwmn]

did he rally say f#ck :laugh:

Yes, he really did say f#ck. :laugh:

[SuzeQuze]

My personal opinion is that people are tired of hearing about gay marriage when our kids are dying in Iraq.

Gay marriage and now flag burning, as if that is such an important amendment to add. Randi Rhodes has been saying how about a law against profiting from a war? But she's a liberal loon so what sense does that make? :sarcasm:

[SuzeQuze]

Yes, he really did say f#ck. :laugh:

At which point he showed his true colors. How can you say that on the senate floor? What an ass.