Re: Filling U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s spot, The New York Times reports:
During the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama spoke of his admiration for former Chief Justice Earl M. Warren, citing as a special virtue his practical political experience as a former governor of California. If Mr. Obama were to look to a political figure with a strong legal background, he could turn to a longtime friend, Deval Patrick, the African-American governor of Massachusetts. Other governors who have held high public legal positions areChristine Gregoire of Washington and Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan, both of whom are white.
The governor’s office tells PubliCola that Governor Gregoire has had no conversations with the Obama administration about the position and the NYT report is based purely “on speculation.”
Gregoire spokesperson Karina Shagren says: “She’s flattered by the attention, but she has every intention of completing her second term as governor.”
Of course, Gregoire—a prominent woman in the Democratic party—endorsed Barack Obama in February 2008—in the heat of the Obama/Clinton Democratic primary standoff. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell endorsed Clinton.
Tweet
Huh. On the one hand, I’d like someone with more judicial experience nominated. On the other, I’d love to see her step down so we don’t have to wait 3 years for something truly progressive to pass the State Legislature.
Our Gov has many admirable traits but she is less qualified to be a justice of the SC than .. well than Clarence Thomas. Unlike him she has no significant judicial experience. Her management of the AGs office .. well lets leave that be as we are talking about scholar ship or legal acumen?
She CONVENED the state AG group that sued the tobacco companies. That was laudable but the ability to get elected attorneys to work together says very, very little about her courtroom or intellectual legal skills.
All I have to say to the idea of appointing Gregiore to anything is “Governor Brad Owen”.
Her lack of judicial experience doesn’t strike me as an obstacle–many justices had none–but she’s no Elena Kagan or Cass Sunstein, that’s for sure. And you don’t give a seat on the Supreme Court as payback for a primary endorsement, unless it’s a REEEAAALLY good one.