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WA Gov. Gregoire possible replacement for Justice Souter?
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It's widely reported that Justice David H. Souter will step down from the U.S. Supreme Court. This comes as surprise, as several older members of the court (Stevens, Ginsburg) have received more retirement predictions of late.
Justice Souter was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, but he quickly distanced himself from conservatives, and he regularly votes with the liberal bloc of justices: Stevens, Ginsburg, and Breyer. Thus, Souter’s retirement isn’t expected to dramatically shift the ideological balance of the court.
While it’s not a requirement, Supreme Court justices have typically followed the protocol of retiring when the White House is filled by a member of the political party that appointed that justice. Souter broke ranks on this, and is rumored to have said last summer that if Obama won he’d be the first to retire.
Many, many names are being tossed around for Souter's replacement. Among them is Washington's own Governor Chris Gregoire. The New York Times says:
During the campaign, Mr. Obama spoke of his admiration of former Chief Justice Earl M. Warren, citing as a special virtue his practical political experience as a former governor of California. If Mr. Obama were to look to a political figure with a strong legal background, he could turn to an old friend, Deval Patrick, now the Massachusetts governor, Christine Gregoire, governor of Washington, or Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of Michigan.
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