The Vacancy
You know, one would think that I would be blogging my ass off after the announcement Friday morning. I haven't for two reasons. 1. I've been busy and 2. EVERYONE else is talking about this. I think that I'll leave this to the rest of the keyboard monkeys until a nominee is named. Until then, I will be religiously reading Volokh, SCOTUS, and Bench Memos. They tend to have the most thorough stuff. But honestly, all the blogs I read usually have had something to say about this and it's usually been either a new viewpoint, new theoretical nominee, or something else interesting.
I can't say that I'm shocked the abortion people are out in force now. Of course, legalized abortion is not going anywhere, not even with a strong conservative replacing O'Connor. There are still 5 votes to uphold. Partial birth abortion is likely to go, since O'Connor was one of the 5 in Stenberg. I am pretty sick and fucking tired of abortion being the only issue that is discussed with SC nominees. Yes, it's an important issue, but there are much bigger things to be worried about. Can we keep the TV cameras off the shrill, militant feminists and the religious people sporting tape on their mouths for a while? Too much to ask?
I can't believe the people who are demanding that a moderate replace O'Connor. I've heard people even claim that her seat is a moderate seat. Uh, no. It is the president's discretion to nominate the justices he wants. There is no requirement that the new justice be ideologically similar to the old one. There's not even a tradition of it. When Justice White retired, did Clinton replace him with a conservative? Nope. Justice Ginsburg got his seat. Hardly a conservative. Hardly a moderate. But that's the way it goes. That's why the presidential election is so important. That is why I voted for Bush. Let's see if the Senate Democrats act as reasonably as the Senate Republicans did during Clinton's nominations.
I can't say that I'm shocked the abortion people are out in force now. Of course, legalized abortion is not going anywhere, not even with a strong conservative replacing O'Connor. There are still 5 votes to uphold. Partial birth abortion is likely to go, since O'Connor was one of the 5 in Stenberg. I am pretty sick and fucking tired of abortion being the only issue that is discussed with SC nominees. Yes, it's an important issue, but there are much bigger things to be worried about. Can we keep the TV cameras off the shrill, militant feminists and the religious people sporting tape on their mouths for a while? Too much to ask?
I can't believe the people who are demanding that a moderate replace O'Connor. I've heard people even claim that her seat is a moderate seat. Uh, no. It is the president's discretion to nominate the justices he wants. There is no requirement that the new justice be ideologically similar to the old one. There's not even a tradition of it. When Justice White retired, did Clinton replace him with a conservative? Nope. Justice Ginsburg got his seat. Hardly a conservative. Hardly a moderate. But that's the way it goes. That's why the presidential election is so important. That is why I voted for Bush. Let's see if the Senate Democrats act as reasonably as the Senate Republicans did during Clinton's nominations.
