With word that Justice David Souter will retire from the Supreme Court, Law Professor Jack Beerman, an authority on the court, says former law-school professor Obama is in a unique position to nominate a successor.
“President Obama, having been a law professor and president of the Harvard Law Review, is in a unique position to make an informed choice of a replacement for Justice Souter. He has a greater personal familiarity with the available choices and a greater understanding of the process than any president in recent memory. Given the president’s experience and the quality of his advisors, one thing is certain — he will make a high-quality pick.”
Meantime, Law Professor Jay Wexler, a former clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, recalls Souter as being perhaps the best justice at probing counsels appearing before the high court.
“I always liked listening to his questions. They are thoughtful and helpful, unlike the questions of some of the other justices, which are more like, ‘Let me show you how smart and/or mean I am,’ or whatever. Souter’s opinions are sometimes infuriatingly long, but they are always pretty astute. He’ll be missed by all good jurists and liberals.”
Contact Jack Beermann, 617-353-2577, beermann@bu.edu
Contact Jay Wexler, 617-353-2789, jaywex@bu.edu
