Break the mold for Supreme Court picks

[Still Sensible]

Excellent commentary IMO at CNN today by Professor Sherrilyn Hill:

...It's been nearly two decades since anyone who has not served as a federal appellate judge -- for at least a little while -- has been confirmed to sit on the court. What this means is that justices on the court have come to be representative of a very narrow slice of the profession.

Federal appellate judges, former federal prosecutors and high-powered federal appellate practitioners stand a very good change of getting nominated. State court judges, full-time law professors, former criminal defense attorneys, even civil practice trial lawyers -- not so much.

Thurgood Marshall (a federal appellate judge when he was nominated by President Johnson in 1966) is likely the last justice on the court who had personally defended a criminal defendant at trial in a capital case.

It's a shame because this means that the deliberations of the court lack the perspective of lawyers who understand the challenges that face lawyers presenting evidence in some of the toughest and most complex criminal and civil trials.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/04/ifill.court/index.html

[Faygo Kid]

1. Jennifer Granholm.

Honors graduate at Harvard Law, law clerk to U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith (one of the greats!), assistant U.S. attorney general, Wayne County Corporation Counsel, Michigan Attorney General, Michigan Governor.

Plus, how's this for real world experience:

Granholm graduated from San Carlos High School, located in San Carlos, California, in 1977. She won the Miss San Carlos beauty pageant. . . She held jobs as a tour guide at Universal Studios, within customer service for the Los Angeles Times and was the first female tour guide at Marine World Africa USA in Redwood City, piloting boats with 25 tourists aboard. . . was once a contestant on the daytime television game show The Dating Game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Granholm

[Myrina]

2. Longshot: Russ Feingold

:loveya: The man knows the Constitution inside and out, and certainly has all of the qualities Prez O mentioned that he'd look for in a SCOTUS Nom during the much-ballyhooed "Interview with Wolf Blitzer".

:patriot:

[HereSince1628]

3. I read that as ...

BREAD mold for Supreme Court, the first time around... :rofl:

Oh, old eyes and an impatient mind, they take you into the strangest places, Oh! MaGoo, You've done it again.

[StevieM]

4. Pamela Karlan is my pick (eom)

[MasonJar]

5. No matter whom Obama chooses (hopefully) the balance will not shift.

We need one of the "felonious five" to disembarack.