Supreme Court riven by partisan politics ("Stevens gave me every indication that he will leave")

[usregimechange]

Jeffrey Toobin is a CNN senior legal analyst and a staff writer at The New Yorker. A former assistant U.S. attorney...


(CNN) -- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is fond of pointing out the original reason that judges came to wear black robes. It's to make them look alike, to minimize the differences between the individuals who occupy the role and to suggest that the law will be applied even-handedly, no matter who happens to be dressed in black.

Well, that may be the theory, but the events of the last few weeks show that the Supreme Court is riven by the same partisan divisions as the rest of Washington -- and it's likely to get even more heated sooner rather than later.

(mentions Citizens United, Roberts public war of words w POTUS, and the Thomas Tea Party)

All of this controversy may come to a head soon, because Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's senior associate justice and the leader of its liberal wing, is likely to resign this spring. In an interview for The New Yorker, Stevens told me that he will probably decide in less than a month whether he will retire. With his 90th birthday looming in April, Stevens gave me every indication that he will leave the court , which will set up a confirmation battle over Obama's appointment of his successor.

The divisions in the court have always reflected the political divisions in the country, but never more so than today.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/15/toobin.court.partisan/index.html


Related Posts

Jeffrey Toobin: After Stevens What will the Supreme Court be like without its liberal leader? (Mon Mar-15-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7919751

Breaking: Justice Stevens will retire under Obama, to decide in "about a month" (Sun Mar-14-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7916097

[blondeatlast]

1. No, no, no, Justice Stevens, for the love of the nation, please, please don't.

Losing another liberal would be disaster. I don't like partisanship on the SCOTUS but with this bunch, we have a lot of damage to undo. We NEED Stevens, as unfortunate as that is for him.

[usregimechange]

2. Maybe we can appoint his clone? That should get more foam from the mouths of the demagogued

[Unvanguard]

3. He's ninety years old. If he waits past Obama's term, or even past the midterms

we may not be able to replace him with someone decent.

[blondeatlast]

4. Well, my hope is that he could possibly outlast Scalia. I know

how unlikely it is, but I can dream, can't I?

[Unvanguard]

5. No disagreement there. If I had my way he would be on the Court forever. n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Better to do it while we are in a position of power.

He has earned his retirement and waiting much longer could risk any hope of keeping the tenuous minority of the more liberal wing of the SCOTUS intact.

[Lyric]

8. We can't afford to replace any more die-hard liberals with kinda-liberals.

If he retires, I pray to whatever Gods are listening that Obama doesn't shy away from the liberal lion types this time around.

[thelordofhell]

7. Justice John Paul Stevens

Let me be one of the first to thank you for your tireless battle against the conservative justices that were appointed to keep rich people and corporations in power forever. It will be a sad day when you retire, and however liberal your replacement will be, they will still be less than you were on the bench.

In Appreciation,
A Grateful Liberal

[unblock]

9. whether this rumor is true or not, he can't have many years left on the bench.

he'll be missed, but i'll be glad to see obama picking his replacement, especially if it's a real winner like sotomayor.

on the off chance a republican becomes president anytime soon, stevens may not have a choice in the matter, and letting a REPUBICAN pick his replacement would be a DISASTER of epic proportions.

[usregimechange]

10. It is not a rumor in that he is leaving under Obama and will decide in less than a month when