Advocates Call for First Openly Gay Justice

Lack of a ring turns top female Supreme Court candidates into targets

(NEWSER) - David Souter is a lifelong bachelor, but the possibility of a bachelorette replacement has started an uproar. Why? Because those potential Supreme Court justices are women, and when a powerful woman is unmarried it "seems to make everyone think: lonely, misfit, or lesbian," write Dahlia Lithwick and Hanna Rosin for Slate. Two potential candidates are lesbians, but that hasn't exactly opened the door to a frank discussion of what it would mean to have an openly gay woman on the bench. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama said today he would be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court “soon” and hopes to have the new justice confirmed by Congress’ August recess, Bloomberg reports. In a C-SPAN interview, Obama laid out his criteria, which includes not only “ivory tower learning” but also empathy. “You have to be able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see through their eyes and get a sense of how the law might work or not work in practical day-to-day living.” More»

Both in DC; sources say Obama began interviews with Wood

(NEWSER) - The Washington rumor mill is focusing on two names as President Obama steps up the search for a Supreme Court nominee, the Washington Post reports. Federal Appeals Court Judge Diane Wood visited the capital Tuesday, ostensibly to attend a judicial conference, but insiders say she met with the president for an interview, the first of several Obama plans with nominees in coming days. More»

(NEWSER) - Republican groups have already prepared dossiers and attack strategies on a host of possible Obama Supreme Court nominees, the New York Times reports. Ten memos obtained by the Times—all about female judges and scholars—focus on records of abortion rights, gay rights, and the citing of foreign laws. Weakened conservative groups don't expect to defeat Obama's nominee, but hope to galvanize the GOP. More»

Nominee coming 'soon,' should be seated by October, say Dems

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s choice for the next Supreme Court justice is coming “soon,” said Democratic senators after a meeting with the president. The White House says the appointee won’t be announced this week, but Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy say he or she should be seated by October, the Wall Street Journal reports. “I think it would be irresponsible not to have the ninth justice there when the session opens up,” Leahy said. More»