Monday, April 05, 2010

The Female-Dominated SCOTUS Short List

All bets are on liberal Justice John Paul Stevens retiring this year. But when asked, Stevens leaves himself lots of room: "I will retire within the next three years." Justice Stevens is 90 years old. A summer fight over the next Supreme Court Justice is one way to warm up for the midterm election.

It appears that Obama's short list is the same one we saw last year. It's a female-dominated list because anything other than another woman on the male-dominated High Court is unacceptable. Hoping for a progressive woman here:

The vetting of the short list of candidates was already largely done last year when President Barack Obama picked Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter, and knowledgeable sources say the president is likely to work off the same dossiers, now being updated. The list includes Solicitor General Elena Kagan, appeals court Judges Diane Wood and Merrick Garland, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. [via]