Women judges always get more liberal as they get older. She is qualified to be on the Supreme Court but she should not be the Chief Justice.

She would be an impeccable choice.

Perfect choice. Time for Rehnquist to step down here. No time like right F'n now to get the "nukular" war over judicial nominees started, and no better person to be the first into the fray than Judge Brown.

what the hell happened to america? Cant a white dude be nominated for any damn thing? When did it become impossible to be nominated for something without being a black, female, mexican, or a midget?

Amish,

White males get nominated, they just generally don't get as much air time for it. Or when they do, no one points out "this is a white male."

Football Fans makes an interesting pick, but if Brown's name is familiar to anyone here it's because she was one of Bush's appointees who got filibustered last time around. If Daschle (heh, just saying his name makes me smile now) and company threw such a hissy fit for a Circuit spot, think what they'll do over a Supremes spot.

There's nothing in this world a Democrat hates more than a succesful, minority Republican.

i think republicans nominate minorities because we want to play some weird racism angle. Every time a republican nominates a minority candidate you hear people say "the democrats will have a hard time blocking a black nominee" or Latino or whatever. Im not saying that all of the presidents nominees arent qualified(they are) im just saying that minority candidates are used to score political points. It never actually works though.
Its like Bush wanting partial amnesty for illegal aliens- how many of them are acually ever going to vote for him? It wont ever be over 50%, so doesnt that completly defeat the point? im rambling...

forgot to sign my name

'amish', you bash Clarence Thomas too?

nope. I bash the idea that republicans nominate minorities because they can use their minority status as leverage against democrats. "Democrats say they want to help minorities in america but only if their not conservative." (this is sometimes true of course) I still think its just a shitty tactic- nominate the best person for the job and take your case to the American people-dont nominate a minority candidate and scream 'RACISM' when the democrats put up a fight.

p.s. i love clarence thomas-i learned some of my best dating moves from him. Pube on a coke can-works every time...

Dear Sirs,

Perhaps your memories are shorter than mine. In that be thankful. The first black senator since reconstruction was a Republican (Edward Brooke of Massachusetts). The first woman senator was a Republican (Margaret Chase Smith of Maine). The first female Supreme Court justice is a Republican (Sandra Day O'Connor of Arizona). The first black "big 4" cabinet officer is a Republican (Colin Powell was identified and nurtured by Richard Nixon). The first Hispanic big 4 cabinet officer is a Republican.

The Democratic party is the party of Jim Crow. I personally remember separate drinking fountains, schools and virtually every thing else in a vast region that didn't even have a Republican dog-catcher. Every time I hear a Democrat, particularly the plantation niggers of the balck caucus, claim a solidarity with minorities I, I, I sigh a bit and contemplate their 40 years in the wilderness.

democrats are hypocites. so are republicans. Both parties would sell their mothers for a few more votes. Maybe im being overly cynical but i think republicans nominated most of the people you just mentioned to try to peel away minority voters. Remember the republican convention a few years ago where 75% of the people on stage were black? Come on... didnt anybody else feel that was some kind of photo op?

i sound like a troll, but now that the election is over its time to start calling republicans on some of this silly stuff. why would being a sharecroppers daughter make someone a better judge? It wouldnt. It would however make it easier to get her confirmed by portraying her as a oppressed minority who went from rags to ritches. now i sound like im racist too...

on a completly different note-who would you rather give a Filthy Adolf to--Michelle Malkin or Ann Coulter?

Dear Sirs,

You have lost a reader. I spent considerable time composing a reply to Amish, only to have it rejected and the total comment lost because some fershluginer meathead objected to a perfectly repectable, indeed wondefully precise term (i.n.c.e.s.t.u.o.u.s) use to describe the workings of a certain political party. You are an IDIOT! Amish, you I like.

dear sir,
thanx for keeping me entertained with your interesting comments. goodnight.

Ace, did you see 24 tonight?

Sorry for the off-topic, but it's important, as the show tonight answers just about every criticism of Alberto Gonzalez to come out of Chuck Schumer's mouth.

Sure, it's fictional, but good fiction is reflective of the times, and it is illuminating.

Great clip of some Jack Bauer Justice can be seen here, but dunno for how long:

http://www.fox.com/home.htm

My review of the episode, sure to piss CAIR off even more, is here:

http://garfieldridge.blogspot.com/2005/01/jack-bauer-hour-of-power-is-back-baby.html

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Having her as a nominee for an Associate Justice position I can see, but (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) doesn't the Chief Justice spot usually go to someone who's already a member of the Supremes?

(Please, spare me any Diana Ross jokes; you know what I mean.)

I think it's more fair to say that the GOP is doing what they claim businesses should do--practice affirmative action without a government mandate.

There are many qualified jurists, so why not select one who's black, female, crippled or really really ugly? It's not like anyone was forcing them, and it's good for business.

I guess amish is saying it's not necessarily good for business, and maybe he's right even with that stupid hat. But you cannot underestimate having a stiff club to thrash your opponent with when you are nominating a conservative judge.

Brown is every bit as qualified as Thomas or Souter or for that matter, former Chief Justice Warren. Qualification and a host of choices is a given.

Seeking only the "most qualified" is a fool's game because the designation is amorphous, it rarely takes into consideration the spectrum of considerations (it'a like calling Clinton the most intelligent of presidents while ignoring the fact that boinking an intern with a weight problem is not the brightest of choices), and it eschews politics.

Brown is a great choice because she is qualified, she is conservative, she is a political shot to the heart of the Democrats, she will solidify the namby-pamby Senate GOP because she won't bob and weave, she will go over very well in nationally-televised hearings, and if they beat her, they will be so drained of blood from external battering and internecine warfare, that the next nominees will roll through like Soviet Tanks in Berlin.

It's sad to see conservatives caught in the grip of affirmative action fever.

CONDI for President!!

Why? She has never served in the military, been elected to any office, nor served in executive capacity in private life.

Because she's black! Because she';s female. Because she ice-skated a youngster. Because she's smart for a black person, and a female. What higher Presidential quals exist???

Why Janice Brown?

Because she's black, and a female, and a sharecropper's daughter, you dummy!! What person with higher qualifications exist for being Head Supreme Court Justice!! Given we haven't found a handicapped, lesbian black sharescopper's daughter?

Well, why didn't you vote for Al Sharpton for President? He's smart, witty, black, does a mean James Brown imitation, and was ordained as a preacher at age 12? Shouldn't his affirmative action bonus points make him the most qualified Presidential candidate, especially if he also goes vegetarian??

Conservative affirmative action lovers: Umm.....ummmm...well....HEY!! I would have voted for Allen Keyes if he ran! He was born poor, is smart, and very religious! What man in America is more qualified

Barack Obama?

No, he has all the qualifications we affirmative action conservatives love in a President, except he is liberal - and not gay, handicapped, a Muslim...so he has to work on the last 3 and embrace conservatism to have a shot in 2008!

Cedardford

"Why? She has never served in the military, been elected to any office, nor served in executive capacity in private life."

False. Rice was Provost at Stanford during which she was its chief budget and academic officer responsible for a $1.5 billion annual budget and the academic program involving 1,400 faculty members and 14,000 students.

"Because she's black, and a female, and a sharecropper's daughter, you dummy!! What person with higher qualifications exist for being Head Supreme Court Justice!! Given we haven't found a handicapped, lesbian black sharescopper's daughter?"

If you believe Brown is unqualified, say it, and then comment on the relative qualifications of Souter (7 years appellate experience), Warren (no appellate experience), Thomas (about a year), or for that matter, Rehnquist, when he was nominated (no judicial experience whatsoever).

If you believe politics should be NO consideration for what is sure to be a contentious confirmation fight against unscrupulous political adversaries, say it.

Almost a decade appellate experience on the California Supreme Court may not be enough in your mind, but the histrionics hardly make your case.

The last post was by me.

How about because Brown is on the supreme court of one of the largest and most litigious states in the union. I'm sure most people who are challenging her qualifications have never read her opinions. She would be an excellent USSC justice.

Larkin - Universities are great "parking spots" for out of power politicians. Helps butter the bread, and depends on the donor base. Both Hill and Bubba were offered university presidencies like Bob Kerrey, Donna Shalala and countless others have been. Condi Rice got a junior slot during her "parking period" but her job was mostly fundraiser, not hands on financial management - a field she has no background in. Hillary, on the other hand, thought a run at elected office would make her a more credible force in her Party. She was right.

Now, if you want a minority female President, how about Donna Shalala? She is a fiscal manager, in a series of real leradership posts...but more importantly by the new affirmative action criteria you embrace - she is Arabic and a dwarf. That has to make for huge Presidential bonus points!!!

If you think politics is important, and it is then consider that Hispanics now outnumber blacks and are trending Republican. The quickest way to stop that trend, is to diss them after indicating Bush is serious about appointing a Hispanic to the Court - is by bypassing them for a 2nd black or 3rd Jew on the Court.

Julie - We are talking about a women with no Federal Appelate Court experience skipping that step, and appointed to the SCOTUS? Moreover, bypassing being made a junior Justice and becoming Head Justice??? The last time that was done was for Earl Warren, and he was at least a powerful Governor before that...and the man was a disaster who turned on Eisenhower and reshaped the nation. The last one before that was Howard Taft, and the big fat guy at least had the bona fides of being a State Chief Justice as well as a former POTUS.

OK, a black sharecropper's daughter, popular in California....perhaps she needs some more prep time....

If you knew anything about appellate law, you would know it's not necessary to have federal appellate court experience. And the position of chief justice, though prestigious in name, means the justice has additional administrative duties. Justice Brown's 10 years on the California Supreme Court makes her more than well-qualified for the position.

The only person who needs more prep time is you -- before you again lecture us on a subject you know nothing about.

"by bypassing them for a 2nd black or 3rd Jew on the Court."

Good old reliable Cedarford. Bring the Joooooos into the argument when nobody's said a fucking word about them.