O Sandy, We Hardly Knew Ye;

Well, for the first time in more than a decade, there is a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Court, announced her retirement this morning. A retirement from the Court wasn't a surprise, but most Court watchers were surprised to see O'Connor go before the Chief Justice. What happens now? Will the ensuing confirmation battle (which CNN has fully covered here), be, as the BBC speculates, "a battle for the legal soul of the nation?" It depends on what Dubya does. If he remembers his 2000 campaign promise to be a "uniter not a divider," he may select a moderate to replace the fairly moderate O'Connor. On the other hand, if he bows to pressure from the far right and appoints a hard liner, the effect on the Court will be profound. What will Dubya do? Only time will tell.

This will be my last post on the whole shindig, until we have a new justice (barring something really extraordinary). It would do my future clients no good to have their lawyer spouting off in cyberspace about the qualifications of a judge who may preside over their case (I have appeared before the two potential nominees from the Fourth Circuit, BTW). So, on this issue, I'll keep my opinions to myself.