On The Travis Smiley Show today, Deborah Perry, senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, and Raymond Brown, attorney and adjunct law professor at Seton Hall University talked about swirling rumors that at least one U.S. Supreme Court Justice will retire when current term ends this month. They speculated that it might be either Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s and/or Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Both thought the nomination process would get quite personal and Ms. Perry went so far as to say it would be with ugliest nomination process in history particularly if it’s Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who retires. She reasoned that many view Justice Connor as the swing vote protecting a woman’s right to choose. So whomever the Bush administration puts up, better be pro-choice (highly unlikely), or they just might get Borked.
The Democrats are worried (and rightfully so) that since this is a off year for elections and the Republicans control both the White House and Congress, President Bush will probably nominate someone who is ultra conservative. Thus they are looking at tactical ways to prevent a conservative nominate from being approved. There is much talk of using the filibuster. If the prediction is true that one Justice does retire, it should be an interesting summer in the political arena.