Why's Bush coming here to NC? Supreme Court nomination related?

[Lex]

Anyone know?

I have a guess for someone from NC. Republican African American female from NC. Serves on the Fed. Circuit Court of Appeals right now.

She is from Raleigh, where Bush is headed sometime this week.

She's youngish (50's).

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Raleigh Native Makes History With Appointment To Fourth Circuit Court
Allyson Duncan To Leave Private Practice To Become Federal Judge

POSTED: 2:33 p.m. EDT August 5, 2003
UPDATED: 8:02 a.m. EDT August 6, 2003



RALEIGH, N.C. -- She wanted to be a fighter pilot, but gave up the cockpit for the courtroom. Now, Allyson Duncan about to make history as the first African-American woman to take a seat on the United States Court Of Appeals For The Fourth Circuit.


Allyson Duncan, of Raleigh, is a noted legal scholar who served on the state Court of Appeals. She will become the first African-American woman to serve on the bench for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The position will give the Raleigh native a say in some of today's most pressing legal issues.

http://www.wral.com/news/2382774/detail.html

[Bumblebee]

1. How conservative is she?

[Lex]

3. Whoa, I just found this link when I was Googling . . .

http://www.federalreview.com/2005/07/why-not-allyson-duncan-for-supreme.htm

"Hard core partisan liberal DrFrankLives of The Stinging-Nettle makes a terrific case for President Bush to appoint 4th Circuit Judge Allyson Duncan to Justice O'Connor's spot on the ultimate bench. He argues that she is not such a hard right activist that would offend Democrats but that she is also "no liberal in wolf's clothing," pointing out that she worked with Clarence Thomas at the EEOC.

DrFrankLives may be right. She may indeed be a reasonably acceptable conservative who won't be a polarizing figure and will be a good, consensus pick. But she could also be a David Souter, without a history of written opinions from which to determine her fundamental judicial temperament. Is she a strict constructionist? While she has been a Republican for some time, I suspect that only those close to her and maybe Clarence Thomas know how conservative she really is. But at a time when Alberto Gonzales is one of the leading candidates, what's the danger to conservatives of picking a black, female judge who may be as "moderate" as Gonzales but might be more conservative on issues such as the second amendment or abortion? And while some more conservative groups are already gearing up their opposition to Gonzales, it would take them a while to figure out what to do about Duncan. If she turns out more liberal than expected, Bush can be blamed for taking the risk, but not for actively opposing the further right elements of the base.

And if you are playing the numbers game and trying to figure out what constituencies will be appropriately impressed, you'll have the first black female on the Supreme Court, and she'll be a Republican appointment (of course, the GOP hasn't gotten as much mileage out of the first black female Secretary of State as Pres. Clinton did from the first female). Then, the GOP can go more conservative for Rehnquist's seat by picking hispanic Emilio Garza or a woman, Edith Jones. Heck, he might even go for the twofer and follow Allyson Duncan with Janice Rogers Brown. I can already see the Vote Republican ads running on TV One and BET."

[Bumblebee]

4. If there is no other reason for him to go to NC

The papers would have caught up with it by now -- one would think... But it does make sense: knowing how fond he and his Dad have been of subversive tokenism and looking for and finding conservative blacks and Hispanics for that purpose, I doubt very much he would nominate one of the while males on his short list. I hope if that's the case, she does have a potential of becoming a David Souter or, at the very least, a Sandra O'Connor. But I do fear she might be just another Clarence Thomas in the making...

[TrueAmerican]

2. W does like that Brown Sugar

See: Condi.

[Literate Tar Heel]

5. another possibility

maybe he's going to nominate John Edwards

[Lex]

6. Hey, that's a real possibility.

NOT.

:P