Thursday round-up: Part II

By Jay Willis
on Apr 15, 2010 at 1:40 pm

At the Chicago Tribune blog, Steve Chapman argues that the President should nominate a very liberal justice, noting that the Court currently seats several “unabashed, intellectually distinguished conservatives” and that “[i]t would be a great thing for the court and the country if they had to match wits every day with an equally formidable, forthright liberal” – such as Pam Karlan, Kathleen Sullivan, Geoffrey Stone, David Strauss, or Diane Wood.  In an opinion piece for the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Frank Askin echoes that sentiment, urging President Obama to “reject the voices of moderation.”   On the other side of he aisle, in a guest piece at Politico, Rep. Lamar Smith (TX) reviews Justice Stevens’ recent opinions and encourages the Obama administration to “put aside politics” and pick a more conservative justice.

At the Huffington Post, Lindsay Beyerstein discusses the recently enacted Nebraska laws aimed at restricting abortion rights.  Beyerstein predicts that the laws are “on a crash course with Roe” and notes the importance to the pro-choice movement of appointing a strong liberal to succeed Justice Stevens.

Briefly:

• Carrie Levine at the BLT reports on the efforts of both conservative and liberal advocacy groups as they prepare to lobby in favor of or in opposition to the eventual nominee.
• At the ACS Blog, Margaret Love reports on Justice Kennedy’s recent comments during oral argument in Dillon v. United States, in which he criticized the Department of Justice for failing to recommend that prisoners such as Dillon be pardoned.
• Ashby Jones at the WSJ Law Blog summarizes recent editorials and opinion pieces discussing the role of a justice in applying the law.
• Ann Warren at the Post Chronicle previews Snyder v. Phelps, which she calls a “disturbing and important” case.
• At the Economist, Robert Guest explores the phenomenon of Republican-appointed judges – such as Justices Stevens, Blackmun, O’Connor, and Souter – drifting ideologically to the left.  He agrees with the theory that once on the Court, conservative justices are influenced by liberal news reporters, interest groups, and clerks from left-leaning law schools.
• At NPR, Nina Totenberg previews Monday’s oral argument in City of Ontario v. Quon. She outlines its potential repercussions for government agency employees in what she calls “the first case testing privacy rights in the Internet age.”