Back in June, I predicted that Justice O'Connor would be back on the court. However, I figured it would be under different terms. I thought that Rehnquist would voluntarily step down and Bush would offer O'Connor the spot as Chief Justice.
It looks like my prediction was partially correct: O'Connor will probably be back. The way she wrote her resignation letter gave many scholars of the court pause. She conditioned it on President Bush having someone to fill her seat before the start of the term. That is when her resignation will be effective.
This trade of Roberts for Rehnquist can't make conservatives very happy. If anything, this will be a power shift slightly in the other direction. However, I doubt President Bush has the political power to get two strong conservatives into the court at this point.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Guesswork
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