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Becoming Nominee Sotomayor

From the moment David Souter announced his retirement, his seat on the Supreme Court was Sonia Sotomayor's to lose. President Obama had been “very interested” in her from the start, said one top adviser, and almost immediately, his political advisers--led...

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May 26, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (21)

Judge Wood Goes to Washington

Just two days after Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s sudden appearance in Washington set off a flurry of speculation about Supreme Court interviews, here’s something that actually could be significant: Federal Appears Court Judge Diane Wood, one of the leading contenders to replace David Souter, is in Washington today.

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May 20, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (16)

Obama: Fortifying Bush's policies on terror

There's a must-read piece in The New Republic this week by Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Office of Legal Counsel, outlining specific differences in the Bush and Obama approaches to the war on terror. In the article, Goldsmith...

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May 19, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

The Pitfalls of Politics

President Obama, like Bill Clinton before him, has indicated he would like to tap a politician for the Supreme Court—someone like the iconic and influential Chief Justice Earl Warren, the former governor of California. But there are two big problems...

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May 18, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

A Stealth Nominee?

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs revealed a little more than usual today when asked about the process for selecting a Supreme Court nominee. He was asked a relatively innocuous question about whether the White House will be able to...

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May 12, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (8)

Who's on the Way to the Court: Chart the Course

When selecting a Supreme Court nominee, White House officials essentially plot the prospects out on a graph. On the x-axis, you measure how closely the nominee fits with what you want in a justice; on the y-axis, you measure how...

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May 12, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (11)

A Justice Who Has Juggled

I found myself praying for sun today making the kids’ breakfast--a dozen second- grade boys are descending at 3:30 for my son’s birthday party, which by all accounts should be outside in a moonbounce and not, under any circumstances, indoors....

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May 8, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (20)

White House Formalizes Supreme Court Short List

The White House has formalized its short list of Supreme Court contenders and asked six prospects to provide personal background information, with an intensive vetting process now underway, according to sources close to the process.

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May 7, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (67)

Tortured Timing

News reports yesterday made much out of the fact that a draft report about the so-called “torture memos” doesn’t recommend criminal prosecution for DOJ officials John Yoo and Jay Bybee, but instead would only refer them to their state bars...

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May 6, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (17)

The Harsh Interrogation Investigation

Bush Administration lawyers under investigation for memos that approved harsh interrogation techniques have mounted an aggressive defense to persuade the Justice Department to drop plans to refer them to state bar associations for possible disciplinary proceedings, sources tell ABC News.

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May 5, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (2)