The names you most frequently hear mentioned at the White House to replace Justice O'Connor are perhaps less well-known federal appeals court judges: Edith Clement of Louisiana, Alice Batchelder from Ohio also two very controversial conservatives, Edith Jones of Texas and Janice Rogers Brown, who was just confirmed for an appeals court seat as part of the filibuster deal brokered last month. TOTENBERG: Well, if you look at some of the most respected conservative women on the federal bench, they were appointed by President Reagan and the first President Bush, and they are viewed as not conservative enough by many in the White House. You're also hearing Emilio Garza, a lower court judge. He would be the first Latino appointed to the court. But that's why you're hearing the name of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a lot again. TOTENBERG: Well, look, it's a lot harder politically to appoint a white male to replace the first woman named to the court, and President Bush is very committed to racial and gender diversity on the courts, though not ideological diversity. SIMON: Nina, what names do you think are certain to be on any White House list? My sources tell me that the White House was fully prepared for a retirement by the ailing chief justice, William Rehnquist, but not for O'Connor, so I expect that there's some regrouping going on. TOTENBERG: Well, this announcement, I think, was a shock to-I know it was a shock to her colleagues on her court and to the White House. SIMON: Well, let's talk for a moment about some of the names that are put forward and-about even what kind of values they might have for her successor. The list just goes on and on.Ĭonservatives have railed at her moderation, her refusal to overturn past rulings, and now President Bush has the chance of a generation to remake the court in much the way that Franklin Delano Roosevelt got the chance to remake the court in the 1930s. And similarly, in her 24 years on the court, Justice O'Connor has often been the deciding vote in cases involving abortion, affirmative action, race and gender discrimination, separation of church and state, gay rights.
You know, de Tocqueville once wrote that if you think about almost any subject of major public controversy in the United States, eventually it'll make its way to the Supreme Court. song, this is the end of the world as we know it. In a very real sense, in the words of the R.E.M. TOTENBERG: Well, Sandra Day O'Connor embodies the centrism that's prevailed at the court by a hair for the last quarter century. Help us understand how one person can have that kind of impact. SIMON: And certainly over the past 24 hours we've heard a great deal about how central Justice O'Connor's role was, has been on the court. NPR's legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg joins us. Begin the show today with a look at Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, her contributions to the court, her announcement yesterday that she will retire and those who may succeed her. Any change among those nine carries the weight of changing history. The balance of power among the nine justices of the US Supreme Court affects every American equally under the law.
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. We also look forward to helping our communities make our voices heard to ensure that the Supreme Court remains a place where we can continue to win justice.”Ĭontact: Mark Roy or Jackie Yodashkin at 21 At Lambda Legal we look forward to learning who President Bush will nominate to replace Justice O’Connor.
“The LGBT and HIV communities have a huge stake in ensuring that her replacement is not an extremist ideologue, but instead an open-minded judge committed to giving our communities and our issues a fair hearing. Over the past two decades Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has often been the ‘swing vote’ as the Court has decided issues that are critical to all people who care about equality and civil rights. “As the final say on the constitutional rights of Americans, the Supreme Court plays an incredibly important role in ensuring that this country’s promise of equality is real for everybody, including LGBT people and people with HIV. (New York, July 5, 2005) Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart made the following statement concerning the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor this past Friday, July 1, 2005: