Sandra Day O'Connor resigns

[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

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

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." 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]

Originally Posted by The Tower

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]

Originally Posted by sparky

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]

Originally Posted by sparky

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]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

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]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

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]

Originally Posted by sparky

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]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

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]

Originally Posted by sparky

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]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

Hispanic, I bet.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

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

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/....ap/index.html