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Sandra Day O'Connor Retires
Jul. 1st, 2005 12:46 pmU.S. Supreme Court associate justice Sandra Day O'Connor retires, submitting her letter of resignation to President Bush earlier today.
O'Connor was the first female justice to sit on the bench of the Supreme Court. She was appointed by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
International Herald Tribune article here.
Associated Press: Text of Bush's Remarks on O'Connor.
Implications? Well, the most obvious one is that President Bush will need to appoint a new associate justice to replace O'Connor. The power to appoint justices is in itself a touchy issue—will Bush fill the court with ideological conservative justices? This is a legitimate concern for non-conservatives, since with the October, 2004 thyroid cancer diagnosis of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, it's very likely that Bush will get to appoint more than one Supreme Court justice. With a court of 9 judges, 2 (or maybe even 3) is a big percentage.
The selection process for the next justice has already begun: Bush Asks Senate for Fairness on High Court Opening.
[ETA 2:41 p.m.: The Poynter Institute had compiled an extensive analysis of O'Connor and the implication of her retirement. Link here.]
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O'Connor was the first female justice to sit on the bench of the Supreme Court. She was appointed by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
International Herald Tribune article here.
Associated Press: Text of Bush's Remarks on O'Connor.
Implications? Well, the most obvious one is that President Bush will need to appoint a new associate justice to replace O'Connor. The power to appoint justices is in itself a touchy issue—will Bush fill the court with ideological conservative justices? This is a legitimate concern for non-conservatives, since with the October, 2004 thyroid cancer diagnosis of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, it's very likely that Bush will get to appoint more than one Supreme Court justice. With a court of 9 judges, 2 (or maybe even 3) is a big percentage.
The selection process for the next justice has already begun: Bush Asks Senate for Fairness on High Court Opening.
[ETA 2:41 p.m.: The Poynter Institute had compiled an extensive analysis of O'Connor and the implication of her retirement. Link here.]
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