No Retirements As Supreme Court Ends Term

[CShine]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court wrapped up its nine-month term on Tuesday - on time - with praise for the administration's retiring solicitor general and no retirement announcements of its own.

The court traditionally ends its term before July 1, and the justices managed to do that despite dealing with major issues late in the year, including President Bush's war on terror.

In past years, justices who planned to retire announced their intentions at the close of a term. A retirement had been considered unlikely this year, however. All but one of the justices is past 60. The oldest, Justice John Paul Stevens, is 84. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist turns 80 this fall.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4258852,00.html

[RobertSeattle]

1. I'm still intrigued by this

I kind of wonder if back in December 2000 there was an inside agreement "OK, we're going to let this a-hole (Bush) be President but no one resigns in his first term so he can't nominate anyone"

[JoePizz]

2. That makes the 04 election even more critical-

Complete idealogical control of the courts could be up for grabs in the next 4 years. Certainly in the next 8. A democrat in the white house for the next 8 years could go a long way towards healing the problems caused by illegal laws passed by right wing extremists and held up by the right wing members of the supreme court.

[UrbScotty]

3. Watch out for the October Surprise

Either Rehnquist or O'Connor could quit just before the new term in October to make way for a minority justice to shoere up the minority vote.

In past years, justices who planned to retire announced their intentions at the close of a term.

But have the Bush gang followed tradition much lately?

You never know.

[WildClarySage]

4. I suspect that the nominations/senate approval process would be

too lengthy for an October Surprise. Look for it around August.

[Claire Beth]

5. no way...

October would be not enough time to work thru the congressional process.

[UrbScotty]

6. Well, with Bush & Frist in charge...

Hey, you never know.