Top Democrats advising President Obama on his first Supreme Court vacancy are urging him not to pick a sitting judge.
"I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery - somebody who has had some real-life experience," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) told ABC's "This Week."
Picking up on the outsider theme, brand-new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - who shepherded ex-President George W. Bush's two high court picks as the panel's former GOP chairman - agreed that the eight other justices on the bench who were lower court judges were plenty.
Specter told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he'd like a replacement for retiring Associate Justice David Souter "who has done something more than wear a black robe for most of their lives."
Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" to elaborate, Specter replied, "Perhaps a statesman - or a stateswoman."
A thinly veiled nod to Secretary of State Clinton?
A Specter spokeswoman did not respond to a request for clarification.
Aides to committee Democrats have told the Daily News it's a slam dunk that a liberal woman will be tabbed.
"I think we should have more women. We should have more minorities," the unabashedly liberal Leahy told ABC's "This Week."
A former Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), predicted Obama will "pick a more liberal justice" than Souter, "a pro-abortion justice."
He said Obama's desire to find a candidate with "empathy" for the downtrodden was just "code" for wanting an "activist judge."
A top contender is Bronx-born federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, branded a "radical" by one conservative group last week.
Hatch, who voted for Sotomayor's confirmation to the bench in 1998, refused to go along with the "radical" label, suggesting he wouldn't try to block her appointment.
"I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery - somebody who has had some real-life experience," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) told ABC's "This Week."
Picking up on the outsider theme, brand-new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - who shepherded ex-President George W. Bush's two high court picks as the panel's former GOP chairman - agreed that the eight other justices on the bench who were lower court judges were plenty.
Specter told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he'd like a replacement for retiring Associate Justice David Souter "who has done something more than wear a black robe for most of their lives."
Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" to elaborate, Specter replied, "Perhaps a statesman - or a stateswoman."
A thinly veiled nod to Secretary of State Clinton?
A Specter spokeswoman did not respond to a request for clarification.
Aides to committee Democrats have told the Daily News it's a slam dunk that a liberal woman will be tabbed.
"I think we should have more women. We should have more minorities," the unabashedly liberal Leahy told ABC's "This Week."
A former Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), predicted Obama will "pick a more liberal justice" than Souter, "a pro-abortion justice."
He said Obama's desire to find a candidate with "empathy" for the downtrodden was just "code" for wanting an "activist judge."
A top contender is Bronx-born federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, branded a "radical" by one conservative group last week.
Hatch, who voted for Sotomayor's confirmation to the bench in 1998, refused to go along with the "radical" label, suggesting he wouldn't try to block her appointment.
1 comment:
It's good that they are putting a alot of thought into their decision for this position. They are trying to make their court a well-rounded one which is also good.
Post a Comment