Whatever good mood I was in today has just been aborted.

Unbunch your panties:

"The White House is not expecting a retirement, but it wants to be ready if a surprise announcement occurs, sources said.

It's widely considered that the most likely candidates for retirement are liberal Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, although both have said emphatically that they do not plan to step down."

Cheney could still have one or both killed.

... or at least shoot them in the face for some kind of long-term disability.

I wouldn't worry too much. No retirements are planned, and these guys couldn't have gotten through when the GOP was in charge. With the Dems running the joint, W's asshole nominees have been dropping like flies, and a SC Justice is gonna have to be spotless and truly moderate to get even a second look.

We're going to be stuck with the horrible Supreme Court Bush assembled for a generation. His appointments are probably the worst of many horrible things he's done to this country.

Agreed. The new, right-wing court is already a threat our nation’s fundamental values, and is pro-business, pro-far right ideology and pro-government in a way that works against the interests of most Americans. See the ridiculous recent rulings in favor of abortion bans without exception for the mother’s health and making it basically impossible to file a gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit.

And don’t count on the Dems to save us. Those Jello-backboned, jack-offs have shown that they’ll fold faster than a 24-hour laundry!

Oh sweet dear wet cold and hungry new-born baby lord Jesus, that would SUCK!

@7, OA: A lot of good Dems are pro-business.

My ambition is to be an actor. I view the Supreme Court as a piece of theater, no nominations will get my panties in a wad.

I'm actually less worried than I was earlier, albeit still worried. You'll have to pull the remaining liberal justices' gavels out of their cold dead hands to replace them before 1/20/09, and a Democratic Senate is more likely to Bork a really bad nominee. (Which isn't to say they won't chicken out and let another right-wing nut through, of course - but at least there's a fighting chance of rejection now.)

don't worry seattle, we fighting democratic senators will make sure no harm comes to the republic.

we've always come through for you in the past!

Is there any clause in the constitution that says the congress has to confirm any new justice? Can they wait out Bush's term? One session with 8 justices, maybe even a 4-4 split stopping another Republican coup?

I'm not worried. Any lib member of the court sees that there may be a dem in the WH after next year, and will hang on to their chair come hell or high water until that time. now, if the dems lose, all bets are off.

It's possible one of the retirees could be one of the conservative justices.

I hear from some friends in DC who are fairly close to the situation that Scalia may be going a little soft in the head.

There would be nothing to worry except that the Dems are so lame that most people can imagine a Dem controlled Congress rubber stamping a faux-moderate Bush appointee to the Supreme Court.

There's no reason that I know of why the Senate can't keep a nomination tied up indefinitely. Unless there's a clause allowing for recess appointments to the Supreme Court. If there is, then we're fucked.

Any moderately conservative-to-liberal justice who resigns from the court under Bush's term should be shot for treason. And their families too. period. That court is one more Bush appointee away from dismantling every freedom we have left.

I was about to start crying and throwing things at my desk when I read the actual article, with the quote @no. 2.

I'm thinking after Ginsburg's recent dissents she'll hold out. I hope they all do....

@13 No, they could leave a vacancy. They could legislate the ninth seat out of existence. The composition of the Supreme Court isn't set by the Constitution. If W's popularity weren't such shit right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't try a court packing scheme a la FDR.

Ciao!
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MSN I NIIPET
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Ahlan!
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Ahlan!
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Ahlan!
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