Olson Predicts Firestorm for Next Justice

Despite Republican gains, President Bush's picks for potential vacancies on the Supreme Court will face "political firestorm" in the Senate, the Bush administration's former chief lawyer at the high court said Thursday.

Theodore Olson, who resigned in July as solicitor general, predicted that Bush will get to name as many as three justices during his second term. Olson also said he expected that those choices will come under attack by interest groups and Senate Democrats who have already blocked 10 Bush nominees to other courts.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist is seriously ill with thyroid cancer. Olson said that people are hopeful the 80-year-old recovers, but "even if he does, actuarial reality tells us there may be vacancies soon."

"Make no mistake about it, any attempt to fill a vacancy on the court, especially that of a chief justice, will set off a political firestorm," he told the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group. "The presidential election was merely about the next four years. A Supreme Court justice is for life. It will not be pretty."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-scotus-vacancies-olson,0,5816001.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

:)

who cares about 'Pretty", when you have to go thru Dr. Mengele to get an abortion? Or birth control?

about his possible choices for appointments to the Supreme Court, he assured the American people that he would, "take off every zig for great Justice."

does it make me a nerd that i understand this joke?

I suppose he can break a tie - do the other justices have to vote first and then he gets to make the final vote?

Are there any special priveleges/authorities beyond this?

The one power a Chief Justice has is that when he votes with the majority in a case he gets to choose which Justice will write the majority opinion. Otherwise, the most senior Justice in the majority assigns the opinion. The Chief Justice votes first and the rest follow by seniority. Chief Justice Burger was somewhat notorious for switching his vote after the outcome had been determined so that he could assign the opinion, often assigning it to himself.

This can be a significant power since an opinion written by Scalia is likely to be much more harmful to individual liberty than one written by O'Connor even though they voted for the same outcome in the particular case. This is one of the reasons there are so many concurring opinions now.

and dems shouldn't be afraid to exaggerate to make the that this administration is a serious threat to the American way of life and the constitution.

to defeat these regressive racist, misgynistic, corporatist judges.

and nothing to lose. We need to draw the line from the start.
No concessions.

that, you freak olsen, would be their job!
choke on a chicken bone -- olsen you rat bastard!

im sorry to say, but I except more appeasement

in one of the 911 planes?


Huuum I have never trusted him.

Hatred makes the republican party function. If the leaders don't keep the hatred stoked the republican base may examine how republicans govern. Republican leaders do not want that to happen. It also is critical that the republican leaders keep the hatred focused on democrats lest the Reich Wing direct their active hatred at the moderate republicans.

Oh, never mind, I guess political firestorms are what you're used to, you right-wing shitbag.

Maybe he wanted to extricate himself from that job so he'll be available for the next SCOTUS opening. How old is Ted Olson anyway?

Appointing him would certainly be a nice payback for all Ted's hard work as one of the "elves" that lusted so fervently over Bill Clinton's cock, not to mention his performance in front of the Supremes during the Bush v. Gore debacle.