Obama's Supreme Court Short-List

President Obama has apparently narrowed the short-list of potential Supreme Court nominees to four. Federal Judges Diana Wood, Merrick Garland, Sidney Thomas, and Solicitor General Elena Kagan are all reportedly being considered to fill the vacancy on the nation's highest court created by the impending retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens. News outlets report that the President could make his selection early next week, thereby setting the stage for confirmation hearings this summer. Some of those same reports predict that President Obama’s nominee will face tough questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. To be sure, Supreme Court confirmation hearings before that panel have generated plenty of fireworks in the past. The texts of Supreme Court nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1971 to the present are available electronically through GPO Access. The picture at left of Robert Bork comes from the U.S. Senate. Bork, nominated for the Supreme Court by President Roand Reagan in 1987, faced stiff opposition. Ultimatley, his nomination was rejected by a 58-42 Senate vote.