Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Superbelt
As long as GWB doesn't win the election, Rehnquist's replacement will be moderate to liberal.
|
I actually think it will moderate regardless. An appointment has to pass the Senate which will likely not approve anyone that is beyond moderate in either extreme. The only way around this is if Bush wants to appoint a current court member to the position of Chief Justice and that has a better chance of getting through with an extreme conservative (like Scalia). However, whoever gets added to the court will likely come from the political middle regardless of who is President.
It is interesting that the next President's legacy, whether Bush or Kerry, is likely to be who they appoint to the bench of the Supreme Court. With Rehnquist, O'Conner and Stevens all possibly retiring in the next 4 years, the make-up of the court could be very different. In those 3 you have a solid conservative (Rehnquist), the consumate moderate swing vote (O'Conner) and the current most liberal (Stevens). My guess is the Senate will actually shy away from anyone with a history of extreme liberalism or conservativism and want to approve nominees who are most like O'Conner.