BHO Begins Interviewing SC Candidates

President Obama has taken the next step towards replacing the recently departed Scalia to fill the vacancy on the SC. A total of 5 interviews have been scheduled, with three front-runners:

Sources close to the process say that among those being interviewed are Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; Judge Sri Srinivasan, of the same court; Judge Paul Watford, of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco; Judge Jane Kelly, of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis; and U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves in Washington, D.C.

NPR has given a brief description of each in this job interview, and doesn't promote any among the field.

Garland, the oldest at 63, is also by far the most experienced, a moderate liberal, with a long history as a prosecutor prior to joining the appeals court in 1997. In 2013 he became chief judge of the appeals court. Widely respected, he has few political pluses for the president, as he is neither female nor a member of any minority group.

Judge Srinivasan, 49, worked in the solicitor general's office in both the Bush and Obama administrations. President Obama nominated him to the D.C. Appeals Court in 2012, and he was confirmed a year later by a vote of 97-0. He has less than a three-year judicial record, which in confirmation terms can be a plus, as now-Chief Justice John Roberts learned when he was nominated to the high court. Srinivasan was born in India and came to the U.S. with his parents as a child; if nominated, he would be the first Supreme Court nominee of South Asian descent.

Judge Watford, 48, was confirmed for a seat on the 9th Circuit in 2012 by a 61-34 vote, garnering both Democratic and Republican votes. In his three years on the court, he has earned a reputation as a smart and careful jurist; indeed, two of his opinions — one a dissent and one a majority opinion — were ultimately vindicated by the Supreme Court last term. If he were nominated and confirmed, he would be the third African-American to serve on the nation's highest court.

The above candidates are on BHO's short list, and the article goes on to give background on the last two, whom NPR considers long shots. Personally, I've read a lot of positive things about Judge Brown Jackson, and think she would be a good choice. I won't speculate on the contentious position by those who oppose BHO naming a SC Justice, or fighting the process for political reasons. My hope is for a moderate judge, and a balanced court. We all know what happens when you wish in one hand..
www.npr.org...

Everyone knows how this is going to end. Obama is going to get exactly what he wants. Like always. The Republicans are going to make a lot of noise and do very little to actually stop him. The press is going to amplify the noise the Republicans are making to make it look like they're really trying to stop him. In the end, there's going to be yet another enemy of freedom in a lifetime appointment on the SC.

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Everyone knows how this is going to end. Obama is going to get exactly what he wants. Like always. The Republicans are going to make a lot of noise and do very little to actually stop him. The press is going to amplify the noise the Republicans are making to make it look like they're really trying to stop him. In the end, there's going to be yet another enemy of freedom in a lifetime appointment on the SC.

The Senate has to approve of the new judge Obama can't just point his finger and say you are the new judge. Another enemy of freedom? I had no idea Obama was nominating tea party judges.

a reply to: Boscowashisnamo

Of the three, I would suspect it goes to Garland in a compromise. The Republicans know that blocking a nominee won't be winning them the election, but getting someone on the bench who is more than a decade older than the rest of the field also gets them off the bench a decade sooner.

I like Judge Watford. I want him to sit right next to Clarence Thomas. Then the world can see the difference between a strong intelligent black man and a lump of brown flesh occupying a chair in the highest court in the land.

Yes I said it...

-dex

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Everyone knows how this is going to end. Obama is going to get exactly what he wants. Like always. The Republicans are going to make a lot of noise and do very little to actually stop him. The press is going to amplify the noise the Republicans are making to make it look like they're really trying to stop him. In the end, there's going to be yet another enemy of freedom in a lifetime appointment on the SC.

The Senate has to approve of the new judge Obama can't just point his finger and say you are the new judge. Another enemy of freedom? I had no idea Obama was nominating tea party judges.

As opposed to Marxist, Maoist judges that Obama would love to see in there?

And he was also right because congress and senate are doing the exact same thing as they have been doing which has not been aligned with what their constituents want for America AT ALL.. Get that through your head.

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Everyone knows how this is going to end. Obama is going to get exactly what he wants. Like always. The Republicans are going to make a lot of noise and do very little to actually stop him. The press is going to amplify the noise the Republicans are making to make it look like they're really trying to stop him. In the end, there's going to be yet another enemy of freedom in a lifetime appointment on the SC.

The Senate has to approve of the new judge Obama can't just point his finger and say you are the new judge.

And when I am watching a movie on TV, I know that everything I see is absolutely real because I am watching amazing actors do their thing.