The speculation is out there. Will President Bush replace Sandra Day O'Connor with a Hispanic or a woman? Thre are some of both on everyone's list -- but over at RedState.org, we are hearing that the eventual choice may not be a that was widely mentioned.

That got me to asking about possible nominees who fill BOTH categories. Why not a Latina?

If the President does go that direction, there are a few possible nominees with the experience.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who's sat on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York for seven years, often is mentioned, though far down the list. A Princeton University and Yale Law School graduate, she worked as a prosecutor in New York and was put on the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush. Maybe it works against her that President Bill Clinton promoted her to the appellate court.

If Bush wants his own appeals court judge, he might consider Consuelo Maria Callahan, who has as much time on the 9th Circuit as Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. had on the D.C. Circuit. Callahan graduated from Stanford University and Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento (where Justice Anthony Kennedy once taught), then worked as a prosecutor and judge in California.

If he prefers Ivy Leaguers, Bush could try U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, whom he appointed in 2003. After graduating from Yale Law School, she worked as a Miami-Dade County prosecutor and was appointed to a state circuit court seat by Gov. Jeb Bush before moving to the federal bench.

Altonaga has dealt with a case involving a nativity scene on public property and a lawsuit over same-sex marriage laws. She even sentenced a child pornographer to 100 years in prison. (Full disclosure: In 1984-85, she lived a floor above me in a Yale residence.)

I'll toss the question out there to folks -- what do you know about these judges? Are any of them Supreme Court material?

Posted by: Greg at 03:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 344 words, total size 2 kb.