REHNQUIST RETIRES?

[Goldmund]

Links:

David Corn: "I just got a call from a TV station that produces a weekly panel show on which I am a regular. We finished taping this week’s show at 2:30 pm. The producer wanted to know if I could come pack at 8 pm. The reason: Chief Justice William Rehnquist is supposedly resigning at 4:15 pm. That’s about fifteen minutes from now. Double trouble?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/david-corn/rehnquist-resigning-now_3859.html


RAW STORY: "Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist has resigned, and will tender his resignation with President Bush this evening, senior aides believe.

But RAW STORY has learned that senior reporters at CNN believe such reports are bogus, saying they believe that conservative columnist Robert Novak is wrong.

RAW STORY is seeking to further confirm reports of Rehnquist's resignation. Aides throughout Washington have told us that Rehnquist's resignation will be effective once President Bush arrives in Washington, which may be as soon as five p.m. today.

Hill aides are preparing statements now, and are ready with contingency plans should the retirement be announced this evening."

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Rehnquist_may_resign_0708.html


HOWEVER -- RAW STORY reports:

"A Time Magazine reporter dispatched an email across the city at 4:30, asserting the White House has rescheduled Monday meetings for Tuesday to accomodate a retirement announcement Monday."


My comment: it seems it isn't clear how soon this will happen, but there seems to be a general consensus that Rehnquist WILL retire in the next couple of days.

[jonnyblitz]

1. it's the lead headline on Drudge FWIW also

:shrug:

[Goldmund]

3. Also

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/david-corn/rehnquist-resigning-now_3859.html

[jonnyblitz]

11. i feel better seeing it from david corn. thanks. nt

[Oreo]

2. Chief Justice Scalia

What a shit week...

[Miami Liberal]

5. The thought just makes me ill

:puke:

[daleo]

4. He looked pretty unhealthy, the last TV clip I saw.

It is not unexpected - it looks like he will retire from earthly existence soon. It is ominous that Bush gets to be involved in so many SCOTUS appointments.

[dbt]

6. It's conflict of interest for bu$h to appoint any members of the

court that installed his sorry ass in the White House.

[AngryAmish]

7. I told you

Bush's junta takes total control now. The concentration camps will open by x-mas.

[Goldmund]

8. Not so sure

I don't think they need this football in the state they're in now.

I'm one of the few who views this as good news for us.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Again? I thought he retired last week? Maybe he was just tired? n/t

[underpants]

10. Wow another exclusive leak for Novak

He's such a winner

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

32. Is an UP arrow in Newsweak far behind for eyebrow boy?

[dback]

12. Maybe Bush can appoint a conservative AND a moderate now?

In a perverse way, this may make things a little more tolerable, and throws the right wing a piece of red meat:

Now Bush will replace Rhenquist's slot with a serious conservative--an equal trade--like Edith or somesuch. Then he'll put Alberto Gonzales in the O'Connor moderate-conservative slot. (Despite Gonzales' bit about the detainees, his overall record is faily middle-of-the-road to conservative, so the odds are against us seeing a lot of hot-button precedents overturned on his instigation.)

This isn't optimal, but it could be much, much worse. We just need to pray that the rest of the court's liberal-to-moderate wing stays healthy and on the bench till we have a Democratic congress and/or White House.

[rawstory]

13. RAW STORY -- CNN execs wary of reports; but expected...

http://rawstory.com

[Goldmund]

14. Thanks!

[Abathar]

15. The rumor mill is whipping around Stevens too

There are a lot of people who think it may be a good idea if Stevens retires right after the new two get confirmed. They think that if he waits longer or if another Re Pub gets the white house it will be more of a clean slate for them to replace him with a conservative judge. Shrub getting 2 in is a possibility, but 3 would be almost impossible, he would probably have to go to the left and replace him with a like minded judge. Not my theory, but I have heard it floating around for a while. A new President will be given more slack because it will be their first and he won't have the other 2 hanging over the nomination.

[Goldmund]

16. I've heard the same thing

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[mountainvue]

19. I wish we could all email Stevens and ask him not

to retire. That would be a disaster.

[Cyrano]

17. Rehnquist began his political career by pulling blacks out of voting lines

in Arizona. And then he ends up as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (And before anyone tells me about Robert Byrd belonging to the KKK, he's spent most of his life regretting and apologizing for it. Rehnquist has never offered an apology, an explanation, or a court decision indicating his views on race had changed.)

I suppose that says more about our country than it does about him. The kindest thing I can say about Rehnquist is, fuck him.

[Sandpiper]

29. That's not true

Rehnquist began his political career as law clerk trying to persuade Justice Jackson to uphold Plessy v. Ferguson and racial segregation.

He then moved on to suppressing the minority vote in Arizona prior to the Voting Rights Act.

;-)

[Cyrano]

30. Thanks for the correction, Sandpiper.

[Voltaire99]

31. ..and subsequently spent his career hating us for our freedoms.

Rehnquist led the evisceration of the Fourth Amendment that began with decisions expanding police powers for Reagan's "war on drugs."

The vile old coot is a blot on history; good riddance.

[Algorem]

18. something to do with making it look like Novak takes false leads or

makes them up or something like that?+I mean,come on.Bob Novak,bad leak,false leak,unreliable,whatever?

[rawstory]

20. TIME Reporter: Monday

god, such madness. monday seems like it would make more sense, unless rehnquist wants to duck the press blitz (saturday newspaper runs are slowest of the week): http://rawstory.com

[Goldmund]

21. Thanks again!

[cwrightmills]

22. SCOTUSBlog says no retirement today... n/t

[rawstory]

23. where is that link?

[cwrightmills]

24. scotusblog.com n/t

[HockeyMom]

25. Freepers Saying Stevens will too by the end of the year(?)

I have never heard of the site they quoted (Red Alert?). They are salivating at the thought of Bush appointing THREE judges saying they will "take over" this country if when they happens; bring back God, Morality, and the Constitution. :sarcasm:

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

28. Their idea of "morality" (LOL)...

...seems to be oppressing women (especially on choice) and civil rights. In other words, their view seems to be "screw the Constitution as we know it, as long as we get our hands in the cookie jar." I don't even want to imagine how many DECADES of social regression we'd go through with Shrub putting two of his own in there, let alone a third.

[mitchum]

33. And then it will be time to fight these fascists BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

26. Fundies feeling duped

Bwaahaahaahaa. The last line is priceless!


http://www.earnedmedia.org/osa0708.htm

<snip>

William Rehnquist to Retire - the Republican Fix is On

CONCORD, NC, July 8 /Christian Wire Service/ --

"Note well that to the surprise of all, Sandra Day O'Connor was the first to retire from the Supreme Court. In truth her retirement was a well-choreographed maneuver. It tested the waters to find out how the conservative base would react to the nomination of Alberto R. Gonzales. The reaction was not good. But, with the retirement of William Rehnquist, the way is now paved for Alberto Gonzales to be nominated by President Bush to fill one of the vacancies on the Supreme Court.

"Pretty Slick! President Bush is now able to appease both sides of the aisle. This is what he did so well as governor of Texas. He appeases his conservative base by giving it a strong conservative voice (strict constructionist) to replace Rehnquist, while placating the Democrats by giving them Alberto R. Gonzales.

"Bottom Line: The Supreme Court of the United States of America will be left in exactly the same ideological shape as it was before the vacancies of O'Connor and Rehnquist.

<snip.

"When will we Christians learn that we cannot depend upon Republicans to fight our Lord's battles!"

</snip>

[Lex]

27. LOL!

:spray: I *love* that last line.

These people are certifiable.