was curios about how the other 7 justices might react to being passed over

[KG]

promtion to chief justice and the job given to a judicial neophyte.

also why weren't any of the others, especially a lifelong water carrier like scalia, offered the position?

[fooj]

1. Talked about it here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4928992&mesg_id=4928992

peace.

[Bluzmann57]

2. Yeah I wonder about that too

Scalia would have been the odds on favorite one would think. Maybe bush wanted to make sure a younger man got it so he could continue screwing things up long after he (bush) is gone.

[wellstone_democrat]

3. My guess about Bush* thinking on this:

(and, that everyone on the SC likely knows it instinctively)

Bush*, the egomaniac, isn't content to promote another man's pick for justice but has to have HIS own guy elevated. Think about it.

[rpannier]

4. Scalia was a long shot to be Chief Justice

Most people familiar with the Supreme Court have noted over the years that Scalia is NOT well liked or respected by most of the other Justices, except for Thomas. Even Rehquist often passed up allowing Scalia to write the majority opinion in masy cases because Rehnquist felt that Scalia lacked "Judicial Temprament." Scalia was insulting to other members of the court and had thus isolated himself from many of the other members. A Chief Justice must be someone who can work with and be respected by the other Justices. Scalia, and Thomas, lacked these qualities.
We all know that no Clinton nominee would be chosen. We also know that Stevens was a no-shot because of his voting record and his age. Kennedy and Souter also had no shot as they are hated by the far right.

[elfin]

5. I thnk Scalia's ego

would have led him to believe he would be the pick. That plus Dumbya's pronouncement that he most admired him on the current court.

Roberts (I hope) would be also Po'd at Scalia's attempts to influence things and assert his leadership by putting Scalia in a definitely subordinate position.

This is an optimistic stretch.