2011 - 2016. ONE judicial appointment to flip SCOTUS to 5-4

[denem]

moderate, or 6 -3 Activist Right.

That's how I see 2012.

Citizens United anyone?

[craigmatic]

1. Nope It's all political now many of the consevatives will stay out of party/ideological unity.

Also roberts isn't likely to be one of the ones to retire. Doesn't the chief justice choose which cases come to the court?

[jefferson_dem]

2. Strategic retirements are real. Justices wait for a friendly president to provide a replacement.

Unexpected retirements come around every so often though and those can tip the balance. Poor health, for example, can force retirement onto a justice.

It takes a vote of four (of the nine) sitting justices to bring a case up for for SCOTUS review.

[Tx4obama]

4. Or unexpected death. n/t

[Tx4obama]

3. No. All the justices get a say as to which cases to hear. It takes 4 to say yes. n/t

[Arkana]

5. That's why I'm hoping Stevens and Ginsburg step down while Obama

is President.

If Sotomayor and Kagan are any indication, he's a remarkably good judge of SCOTUS aptitude. He could potentially re-pick the whole liberal wing of the court.

Then all we need is for Antonin Scalia to be abducted by aliens or Raptured or something.

[bornskeptic]

6. Stevens is already gone. Do you mean Breyer?

I doubt that he's going any time soon.

[Arkana]

11. Whoops.

How did I forget that?

[polmaven]

7. That, or...

Thomas' impeachment.

[LeftyAndProud60]

8. Ginsburgh is selfish. Just imagine if Obama loses in 2012. We are fucked in so many ways. NT

[Hippo_Tron]

10. Ginsberg has plenty of time to retire before the end of the year

They barely finished getting Kagan through and have a backlog of lower court judges that they need to get through.

[Major Hogwash]

9. Boo-yah!! (That's a basketball reference for all the NCAA fans out there) Hahahaha.

It's a slam dunk that Obama will get to pick at least 1 more judge.
But, I'd like to see him pick 3 more judges, and make Nixon spin in his cakset!!

LoL