The New York Sun [subscription required] quotes a source close to the White House as saying that the President will be meeting with Judge Alice Batchelder this week. Of course, the White House continues its closed-lip policy, and there was a lot of misreporting last time around about who actually got interviews, so take a "source close to the White House" for what it’s worth. For those who didn’t get to hear Judge Batchelder’s excellent Constitution Day speech on Friday, it is available for listening here.
She was born in 1994, that makes her 61. Maybe a bit old.
Sorry, I meant to write she was born in 1944.
pchuck, I actually think that Batchelder’s age is a plus. It will probably make it much easier for her to get through the Senate. Democratic Senators would strongly prefer confirming a Justice in her early 60s rather than risk the appointment of a much younger Justice (Thomas was in his early 40s when he was nominated to the Court) who will shape the Court for an entire generation.
Judge Batchelder is also mentioned in today’s online edition of Newsweek as a potential nominee.
Appointing a 61-year-old simply concedes too much to Murderer’s Row
(the Judiciary Committee Democrats). Not a bold move at all. It isn’t only the Court and the Republican base that needs a gutsy nomination. The president does, too.
At 61, there is an excellent chance that she will serve at least 15 years on the Court, if not closer to 20.
To me, this is plenty, especially considering the seasoned jurist Batchelder is. We have 14 years of opinions to prove not only how reliably conservative she is, but also how well reasoned her opinions are.
The trade-off in age is well worth it to get a conservative with her experience onto the Supreme Court.
I agree with Charles. While I would also like to see a solid conservative nominee who is 42, I find that scenario highly unlikely, and 15 years of Justice Batchelder would be well worth it. And because Batchelder has been a federal judge since 1983 (unlike some suggested "stealth" nominees), we need not wonder how she will "grow" into the job.
Charles and Moe, you make good points,
and they did occur to me. But they are only decisive if Batchelder is clearly the best choice aside from age, and I would need to be persuaded of that.
I think Batchelder is the most solidly conservative woman judge that could be confirmed by the Senate.
Jones, Brown and Owen (the only other female judges that I would be excited about) seem to all be lightning rods for the lefty organizations, while Clement does not seem to be the conservative force that Batchelder would provide on the Court.