Supreme Preparation

As Howard Bashman reports, the Supreme Court's scheduled to announce its final decisions of this term on Monday. It's expected that we will also see at least one Justice retire from the Court next week, with most of the speculation centering on Rehnquist and O'Connor (and I keep hoping Stevens finally makes a decision I can support). This report speculates on the likely replacement nominees...

The White House has focused on several nominees with established conservative records: Judges J. Michael Luttig and J. Harvie Wilkinson of the Richmond, Va.-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

The official said the administration also has considered a number of judges President Bush has nominated to the federal appeals courts, including: John G. Roberts, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Michael McConnell, of the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and William Pryor, of the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Of those nominees, Luttig, Alito and Roberts have emerged as the leading contenders, sources close to the White House said. But Wilkinson remains very much in consideration, the administration official said.

I'd be thrilled with Luttig, whom I consider the best of the lot. I'm also a big fan of both McConnell and Roberts, although McConnell makes me nervous.

And for those of you wondering why this decision is important... if Robert Bork hadn't been tossed aside in favor of Justice Kennedy, yesterday's decision in Kelo might have been different.