Justice David Souter is planning to retire after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court, giving President Barack Obama his first chance to fill a vacancy on the high court.
The White House has been told that Souter will retire in June, when the court finishes its work for the summer, a source familiar with his plans said Thursday night. He almost certainly would remain on the bench until a successor is confirmed.
Exciting. But get ready for the establishment press to begin complaining about how the president should choose a bipartisan replacement. He won’t. He’ll attempt to replace Souter, who is a more liberal justice, with another liberal. But he’ll choose a younger liberal — which is crucial. Age is more important than anything else short of ideology. A younger justice in place of Souter could potentially secure that seat for a generation.
Sam Stein has possible nominees lined up here. Can you imagine if President Obama nominated an unqualified sycophant to replace Souter?
