Who'll It Be?

SUPREME COURT
With John G. Roberts nominated to replace William Rehnquist as Chief Justice, instead of Sandra Day O'Connor as Associate Justice, the question becomes, "Who will replace O'Connor?"

Well, since you're so eager to know (and I like to talk about it), I've got a list of several highly likely candidates for nomination.

Now, I think we can break this into three categories; minority candidates, women, and white guys. So we'll go from there.

MINORITIES
1-Alberto Gonzales (TX); U.S. Attorney General (Hispanic) (born 1955)
2-Larry Thompson (DC); Former Deputy Attorney General (Black) (born 1946)
3-Emilio Garza (TX); 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (Hispanic) (born 1947)
4-Edward Prado (TX); 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (Hispanic) (born 1947)
5-Mel Martinez (FL); U.S. Senator (Hispanic) (born 1946)

WOMEN
1-Edith Clement (LA); 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1948)
2-Edith Jones (TX); 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1949)
3-Diane Sykes (WI); 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1957)
4-Sonia Sotomayer (NY); 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1954)
5-Rebecca Kourlis (CO); Colorado Supreme Court Justice (born 1952)

WHITE GUYS
1-J. Harvie Wilkinson (VA); 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1944)
2-Samuel Alito (NJ); 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1950)
3-Frank Easterbrook (IL); 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1948)
4-Alex Kozinski (CA); 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1950)
5-Michael Luttig (VA); 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (born 1954)

Now, allow me to say that probably only 1/3 of the people I named are on a real short-list of potential nominees. I wasn't expecting Bush to nominate John Roberts, so I might miss this one by half a mile too. But I'll go out on a limb and say it will be either Wilkinson, Gonzales, Garza, Clement, or Kozinski.

I don't care to admit I'm a fan of Wilkinson and Kozinski, not because of their beliefs, but because they both are extremely qualified choices and are both highly intelligent. I don't particularly like Alberto Gonzales, and I don't know that much about Garza or Clement (except that Clement's name was leaked to the press as Bush's choice right before he announced Roberts), but I know that Bush likes to nominate friends. Kind of like a 21st century version of the Spoils System.

I'm out like a fat kid in dodge ball.

-Neal