In what would be an interesting turn of events, the WH is preparing for two Supreme Court vacancies. Court watchers think that Ginsburg and Stevens will both announce their retirements in the summer before the midterms.
WH Preparing for TWO Supreme Court Vacancies
Court watchers are also looking at Obama's shot at the court from the SOTU to argue that the court matters. That this could be something to rev up the base in terms of a nomination fight for two supreme court nominees that could be coming, assuming Ginsburg and Stevens both announce retirements.
"With all due deference to separation of powers," the president said, " last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities."
Doug Kendall, of the progressive Constitutional Accountability Center, said the president's message was clear: "President Obama's spirited reaction to Citizens United at the State of the Union indicates he fully understands the importance of the federal judiciary and the ability of the Supreme Court to stand in the way of his administration's agenda."
Kendall hopes Obama's dressing down of the majority will translate into greater attention to the judicial nomination and confirmation process.
Stevens has only hired one clerk for this term, so it is virtually assured that he would step down this year, but for Ginsburg to do so as well would be interesting. I know that she has been suffering from cancer, but I thought she was doing better. Nonetheless, she's close friends with the President and if she was planning on retiring, she would let him know with ample time in advance.
As for who to replace them? I think Ginsberg's replacement would almost assuredly be a woman. It would probably be Elena Kagan.
Elena Kagan, 49, currently serves as the president's solicitor general. She is known as one of the finest constitutional scholars in the country, dazzling both liberal and conservative friends with her intellectual prowess and her ability to find consensus among ideological opposites.
For Stevens? Perhaps Harold Koh, or a third woman? What does everyone else think?