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| Court sources: Rehnquist retiring |
| Friday, July 08, 2005 |
Following on the heels of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist will announce his retirement before the end of the week, according to court sources cited by columnist Robert Novak.
O'Connor surprised many court watchers when she gave President Bush a resignation letter last Friday while all eyes were on the ailing Rehnquist.
In his column, Novak said a Rehnquist retirement would enable President Bush to nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales despite fierce opposition from the president's own political base.
The thinking is that with two openings, Bush could "name one justice no less conservative than Rehnquist, and name Gonzales, whose past record suggests he would replicate retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on abortion and possibly other social issues. Thus, the present ideological orientation of the court would be unchanged, which would suit the left just fine."
Novak commented that "Gonzales would not exactly be another O'Connor, but he is still considered a disaster by Republican conservatives. He also is the best Democrats can hope for." |
posted by Jay Are @ 1:47:00 PM   |
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