Howard Dean on Sandra Day O’Connor
 |
James Joyner | Friday, July 1, 2005 |
Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean had some kind words for retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s service. He then offered some advice to President Bush:
“President Bush should follow the example established by President Reagan when he nominated Justice O’Connor. President Reagan had the courage to stand up to the right wing extremists in his party by choosing a moderate, thoughtful jurist.
“A President faces no more important decision in terms of protecting the rights and liberties of all Americans than nominating a Supreme Court Justice. President Bush has a constitutional responsibility to do what presidents before him have done — seek the advice of senators from both parties before making a nomination, and choose a mainstream nominee who will protect our most important rights and freedoms.
There’s little doubt that O’Connor is the type of Justice Democrats hope to see nominated. I’m pretty sure that’s not what Ronald Reagan was going for. After all, he elevated William Rehnquist to Chief, appointed Antonin Scalia to the Court, and nominated Robert Bork before settling for Anthony Kennedy.
O’Connor was an unknown quantity because very few women, let alone conservative women, had a suitable resume for the Supreme Court in 1981–and Reagan had promised during the campaign that he’d appoint a woman. That she would become the “swing vote” on most of the controversial issues of the past generation, let alone an unpredictable, was not Reagan’s intent. Putting an unknown quantity on the court yields that result, however, as it also did with Kennedy.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Caption Contest Winners
- The Political Economy of the U.S. Mortgage Default Crisis
- The Democrats and the Shock Doctrine
- Obama and Europe
- Supreme Court to Decide on Obama Citizenship
- International Implications of the Drop in Oil Prices (Updated)
- Obama’s Bipartisan Cabinet
- More Votes Found - Franken Hurt
- Caption Contest
- OTB Latenight - Paul Simon
- Mark in Mexico linked with Empty seat at SCOTUS - O'Conner retires
- The Moderate Voice linked with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Retiring
thats right!
a platoon of americans has been captured by the Taliban--
and all we can talk about is the SCOTUS
Rove wins again
you fools
Comments are Closed
