Do Obama's Supreme Court Apointments Suggest Reason for the Delays in Miss. Nominations?
In nominating Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court this week, President Obama made a safe choice. Kagan has almost no paper trail because she has never been a judge. There is little evidence to suggest that Kagan is liberal and little about her that can be subjected to legitimate criticism. Attacks from the right will be motivated by the fact that she is an Obama nominee and little else. Barring an Anita Hill type bombshell, Kagan will be confirmed as only the fourth woman to serve on the Court.
Obama also made a safe choice in appointing Justice Sonia Sotomayor last year. Although Sotomayor was a judge who leaned to the left, she was a Hispanic woman. Republicans could not ruthlessly attack her for fear of alienating Hispanic voters.
Two Supreme Court Appointments. Two safe picks. Maybe that helps explain the delays in filling Mississippi vacancies on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, District Courts and U.S. Attorneys.
It takes time to make sure that picks are safe. A lot of digging into their background must be done. And if a candidate turns out to be unsafe, then its back to the drawing board. My personal opinion is that Obama is being overly cautious. Otherwise, his administration is inept in filling vacancies.
