President Obama Looking for Common Touch in Next Justice ( C-Span Exclusive)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090523/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_next_justice_2

President Barack Obama says the qualities he's looking for in the next Supreme Court justice are intellectual firepower along with a little bit of a common touch and a practical sense of how the world works.

Obama tells C-SPAN television in an interview airing Saturday that it's safe to say he will make an announcement soon on his choice to replace retiring Justice David Souter.

Obama says he doesn't feel weighed down by having to chose a justice based on what he calls demographics. The court now has one female justice and never has had a Hispanic justice, for example.

The president is hoping for hearings in July on his nominee. Obama would like the next justice to have time to get prepared before the high court's new term begins in October.



C-SPAN EXCLUSIVE
http://www.c-span.org/
PRESIDENT OBAMA DISCUSSES FOREIGN ANDDOMESTIC ISSUES IN EXCLUSIVE C-SPAN INTERVIEW
Today
On Friday, C-SPAN sat down with Pres. Obama at the White House for an exclusive interview. He talked with us on a wide-range of topics including the auto industry, health care, and the Supreme Court.
C-SPAN: Sat. at 10am ET & Sun. at 10:30am