Let’s Talk Politics

President Obama met with what the White House is calling his “finalists” in the search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter .  Although the White House won’t comment directly on its choices, staffers speaking on the condition of anonymity outlined three possible candidates.

Perhaps the frontrunner is appeals court judge Diane Wood.  A former professor and associate dean of University of Chicago Law School, Wood was nominated to the appeals court by President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Another finalist named is Solicitor General Elena Kagan.  Kagan clerked for Thurgood Marshall and eventually was made Dean of Harvard Law School.  She is the first woman to hold the position of Solicitor General.

Michian Governor Jennifer Granholm has been listed as a possible finalist as well.  She was in Washington yesterday for a conference on automobile fuel efficiency.

Of the names commonly mentioned but not confirmed by the White House, Sonia Sotomayor stands out.  Like Souter, she was an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, who appointed her the to District Court of Southern New York.  She is a graduate of Yale Law School.

Also named is the 41st Solicitor General, Seth Waxman, A Yale Law graduate, he rose to prominence in the wake of his arguments in Boumediene v. Bush, in which the Supreme Court upheld the right of Habeas Corpus with respect to Gitmo inmates.

Finally, there is Harold Koh, the current Dean of Yale Law School.  A former clerk for Justice Blackmun, Koh served in the Counsel’s Office under Reagan.  It is reported that Koh’s confirmation process would not go as smoothly as others, thus making him somewhat of a dark horse candidate.

Wood and Kagan both attended a conference at Georgetown University yesterday.  The attendees included current Justice Steven Breyer and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.   O’Connor has coordinated the Georgetown conference since her retirement in 2006.  She joked that, with David Souter’s retirement, the illustrious club of (living) retired Supreme Court Justices will double in membership.