SCOTUS Excitement - O'Connor retires

There's been a lot of speculation over the last several days, with both Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justice O'Connor possibly stepping down, but today Sandra Day O'Connor announced that she was going to retire.

First, I'd like to echo just about every politician in Washington, by saying that she has been an outstanding justice. I haven't always agreed with her, but in the time she has served, she has been the swing vote and voice of moderation on the court. Although she's a touch more conservative than I would like, she's a moderate conservative, a centrist.

And so it's important to try to maintain that moderation through her replacement.

From DavidNYC on Daily Kos:

Whatever happens with the Supreme Court nomination battle that is about to ensue, it's going to happen fast. Here are some things you can do right now:

• If you have a cell phone, sign up for People at the American Way's Mass Immediate Response site. This way, you'll be able to receive text message action items instantly as events break. (If you signed up during the nuclear option fight, you'll need to re-sign up.)

• Also sign up with the Save the Court, another PFAW website devoted specifically to this issue.

• Recruit friends and family members to the cause.

• Write to the President, telling him he should choose a consensus candidate to replace O'Connor.

• Contact your Senators to tell them the same thing.

If you have any other action items, please post them in the comments below, with links.

Update [2005-7-1 11:33:32 by DavidNYC]: If you have a blog, please post these action items on your site. If you don't, e-mail them to your like-minded buddies and relatives.

Update [2005-7-1 14:57:41 by DavidNYC]: Some more stuff you can do:

• Sign MoveOn's "Protect Our Rights" petition.

• Contact members of the media and tell them you think Bush should nominate a consensus candidate. PLEASE be polite, be brief (200 words or less), and don't do copy-and-paste jobs - put things in your own words.

• Stop by Hunter's thread and make suggestions for potential nominees.

This is big stuff, and it's important to make sure that Democrats and progressives win this one. We're not gonna get a Thurgood Marshall; that's not realistic. But I'd be perfectly happy if we manage to get another Sandra Day O'Connor.

The resignation also gives Senator Feingold and his supporters an opportunity. Nomination battles will go on for the rest of the summer, if not longer, and the majority of these battles will be taking place in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, very likely televised. Ten Republicans and eight Democrats serve on the committee, and one of those soon-to-be prominent Democrats is Senator Feingold. As has been pointed out before, this is a good way for Senator Feingold to introduce himself to the American people-- and by calling for a moderate judge at that.

His statement:

I have great respect for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for the pioneering role that she played as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She has made a significant impact on the country in the past two decades, emerging as a thoughtful voice on many issues, and playing a key role in moderating some of the most extreme conservative tendencies of some members of the Court.

This is the first Supreme Court vacancy in more than a decade, and Justice O'Connor's replacement will greatly influence the future of our country. President Bush once claimed to be "a uniter, not a divider." It is now his call whether he wants to launch a huge, divisive political battle with his choice or seek consensus and bring the nation together. I call on the President to work with members of Congress from both parties to select a nominee behind whom the entire country can unite.

And thus begins the debate.