Forget "Centrists," We Need Progressives @ Supreme Ct -- Righties Will Fight Whomever Obama picks

from AlterNet:



Forget "Centrists," We Need Progressives in the Supreme Court -- Right-Wingers Will Fight Whomever Obama Picks

By Jeff Cohen, AlterNet. Posted May 20, 2009.

Unless Obama gives up his centrist approach and appoints real progressives, our right-wing court may get even more conservative.




I learned long ago, while working at the media watch group FAIR, to be wary of New York Times headlines.

Hearing news that President Obama has a shortlist of candidates to replace David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, I dug up a front-page New York Times Week in Review piece written soon after Obama’s inauguration about his possible impact on the Court. It was headlined: “To Nudge, Shift or Shove the Supreme Court Left.”

I’d like to see Obama shift or shove the Court leftward. But after reading the article, I realized that it could just as easily have been headlined: “Will Obama Move Supreme Court Rightward?”

The centerpiece of the Times article was a fascinating study conducted by two University of Chicago law professors (one of whom is a conservative federal appeals judge) analyzing the judicial records of the 43 justices who’ve served on the Supreme Court since 1937. Four of the five most conservative judges of the last seven decades (Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, Alito) now sit on the Court. With Anthony Kennedy at number ten, five of the ten most rightwing judges are currently on the Court. The current majority, in other words, is almost a conservative all-star team.

By contrast, among the ten most liberal judges since 1937, the only sitting justice is Ruth Bader Ginsburg – she’s number nine. Today’s other three “liberal” justices (Stevens, Breyer, Souter) are in the top 15, but outside the top ten. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/140168/forget_%22centrists%2C%22_we_need_progressives_in_the_supreme_court_--_right-wingers_will_fight_whomever_obama_picks/