SCOTUS Watch '05: Junior edition

Just in time to pick a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra day O'Connor (a second time), Slate has a list of possible choices for the President. He threaded the needle deftly this time out, but he likely won't have two grand slams in a row.

The conservatives think John Roberts turned out to be less than truly perfect; the Democrats think he was not moderate enough. Nonetheless, he'll be confirmed next week. The senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont announced he will vote to confirm Roberts as chief justice, while Sens. Harry Reid, the minority leader; John Kerry and Edward Kennedy all have said they will not vote for Roberts.

So how does Bush succeed again? Some possible choices:
Pick a woman. Even Laura Bush thinks that a woman should be replaced with a woman. She probably just thinks that Ruth Bader Ginsburg should not be the lone female voice on the court. Looks good for Edith Clement or Edith Jones. Bad idea if Bush picks Priscilla Owen or Janice Rogers Brown.

Pick a Hispanic. Benefits: Bush gets to have a "first" for history's sake and he gets some points with a constituency of increasing influence. Drawbacks: The people on that short list all raise an eyebrow with either the extreme right (Alberto Gonzales) or extreme left (Emilio Garza).

Pick a politician, preferably a Bushie. Look at the Justice Department (Larry Thompson) or at state attorneys general or even private attorneys.

I imagine we'll have a nominee next week, so O'Connor won't have to stick around for more than a month or so. But Bush's successful nominee will stick around for a couple decades.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.