Kathleen Sullivan for US Supreme Court

[H2O Man]

Kathleen M. Sullivan is a nationally prominent scholar and teacher of constitutional law. Author of the nation’s leading casebook in constitutional law, she has published articles on federalism, religion, speech, equality, and constitutional theory. A professor of law at Harvard Law School before joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 1993, she is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Also an outstanding litigator who has argued before numerous appeals courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, she has been named by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.

From 1999 to 2004, Professor Sullivan served as the eleventh dean of Stanford Law School and the first woman dean of any school at Stanford. As dean, she made fifteen faculty appointments, established the clinical faculty, renovated all 17 classrooms and the library reading room, launched numerous academic centers, started the LLM program, and raised over $100 million for the school.

More:
http://www.law.stanford.edu/directory/profile/57/

President Barack Obama will be appointing a new Justice to the US Supreme Court fairly early in his first term. There is reason to believe that he will attempt to place a progressive person in his first appointment to the bench, because he will be expected to face less resistance from the republican party at that time.

I would like DUers to consider becoming active in the campaign to encourage him to nominate Kathleen Sullivan. She is one of three or four women who are reportedly being considered by the President-elect’s team, and perhaps by Barack Obama himself.

Ms. Sullivan is an outstanding Constitutional scholar. Her mentor, Lawrence Tribe, has said that she was "the most extraordinary student I ever had." (N. Warring; Congratulations Dean Sullivan; Harvard Law Bulletin; Summer, 1999)

U.S. News & World Report notes that she "has been a strong advocate on privacy issues, including abortion rights as well as same-sex marriage." (Nov. 17-24,2008; page 36)

I believe that Ms. Sullivan would be an exceptionally strong addition to the Supreme Court.

Thank you for your consideration,
H2O Man

[Tom Rinaldo]

1. She certainly sounds qualified

And if you say she's progressive I have no reason to doubt it. How old is she by the way? Relative youth is a plus.

[H2O Man]

2. DOB:

August 20, 1955. Perfect age.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. Yep. No one can say she is too green, but most likely she could serve for a long time n/t

[panader0]

4. She sounds like an excellent choice.

When I saw the OP, I thought first of Kathleen Sullivan, the CNN reporter.

[whistler162]

5. But, she went to a furein college

she ain't not good for the suprim kourt!

[tigereye]

6. wow, that's high praise coming from Tribe!

[Me.]

7. K

R

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Is this his first progressive appointment?

[NewJeffCT]

9. I had her on my original list as the first pick - but -

I was later informed that she failed the California bar exam, and I'm sure the Republicans/Freepers would have a field day with that. See post #53 in the thread below:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=3391661#3391724

[Unsane]

10. I personally think she could be plopped on a Circuit Court for a few months first

and the issue would probably become moot at a subsequent SCOTUS hearing.

[bleever]

11. Lawrence Tribe also had very high praise for Obama himself.

She sounds like an excellent candidate.

[Unsane]

12. She would be the first openly gay SCOTUS nominee.