A couple minutes ago, Obama popped in to the press briefing room this afternoon after talking to Justice Souter. He laid out his criteria for the next Supreme Court Justice -- and wants the next Justice confirmed by the first Monday in October, when the next session of the Court convenes. (The video is live)
Despite the worries of some in the media, sounds like Obama is on top of this.
Via Media Matters, in January of 2006, leading GOP strategist Bill Kristol said the 2006 and 2008 elections should be a referendum on what the American people want in from the Supreme Court:
Let's have a referendum on that in 2006 and 2008. Do they want a liberal Supreme Court, or do they want a moderately conservative Supreme Court?Good idea, Bill Kristol. Based on the 2006 and 2008 elections, we know what the American people want.
UPDATE: Here's the text of the President's statement on the next Justice:
Now, the process of selecting someone to replace Justice Souter is among my most serious responsibilities as President. So I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity. I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book. It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives -- whether they can make a living and care for their families; whether they feel safe in their homes and welcome in their own nation.
I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving as just decisions and outcomes. I will seek somebody who is dedicated to the rule of law, who honors our constitutional traditions, who respects the integrity of the judicial process and the appropriate limits of the judicial role. I will seek somebody who shares my respect for constitutional values on which this nation was founded, and who brings a thoughtful understanding of how to apply them in our time.
As I make this decision, I intend to consult with members of both parties across the political spectrum. And it is my hope that we can swear in our new Supreme Court Justice in time for him or her to be seated by the first Monday in October when the Court's new term begins.
