General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsD's and R's have split the last 14 Presidencies, but R's have appointed 12 of 20 SCOTUS justices
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/upshot/the-supreme-court-blunder-that-liberals-tend-to-make.html?_r=0With President Obama entering the final years of his presidency and Senate control up for grabs this year, Supreme Court transitions have again become a salient subject. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at 81, is the oldest justice, and Stephen Breyer, who also leans left, is 75. Antonin Scalia (78 years old) and Anthony Kennedy (77), both Reagan appointees, presumably have no interest in handing another nomination to Mr. Obama, but they may face their own hard choices a few years from now.
The court now entering the final weeks of this years term, when many of the biggest decisions will arrive is of course closely divided. Five-to-four decisions are the norm on most big issues, including climate change, voting rights, same-sex marriage, campaign finance, abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, prison crowding and defendants right to counsel. If a conservative were to replace a liberal justice, or vice versa, the outcome of major cases would flip.
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The mistake that liberals have made, while less known, is no less real: They have surrendered seats on the court by being less strategic than conservatives with the timing of their retirements. The six most conservative justices, based on their voting patterns, to have retired in the last 50 years all left the bench under a Republican president. By contrast, only one of the six most liberal justices has departed when a Democrat was president.
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Just think about what liberals would give to have had a Democratic president replace Justice Marshall. And think about how many major cases on voting rights, campaign donations, the death penalty and other issues might have turned out differently.
Squinch
(50,774 posts)Michigander_Life
(549 posts)And I wouldn't shed any tears if Scalia and Thomas were overcome with terminal cases of food poisoning from spoiled milk slurped out of big business's teat.
Squinch
(50,774 posts)But yes, if they went, I would squawk with joy.
tritsofme
(17,325 posts)If Republicans take the Senate, there is no guarantee Obama will be able to appoint any more judges.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)taking a "Time Out."
Is it the "Hotel California" syndrome?
Anyway...we need (or at least some of us need) informative posts like this to stick around DU in the first place. So, glad to see you will still post if you find something you think the rest of us would be interested in.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)I do occasionally, but don't have one planned.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)I found it interesting how many people read this to mean I was taking a break now, which I suspect includes several who would like to see me take a break.
leftstreet
(36,081 posts)Seems the better question
Scuba
(53,475 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,227 posts)so they time their retirements strategically to keep the court under conservative control. Dem appointees act as if the court really is impartial, and retire based on their personal situation.