WHAT DOES A SUPREME COURT VACANCY MEAN?

With O'Connor's retirement today, a Supreme Court vacancy is suddenly a reality. Many important issues hang in the balance.

Our current Supreme Court is so divided that the future of civil rights is very uncertain. Many recent court decisions have been so close (with one vote making the decision), that O'Connor's replacement could form a radically different Court. For decades to come.

We believe that any nominee should be selected by the President through bi-partisan consultation with the Senate. These two key branches of government must work together to choose a mainstream judge. And we need our government to be forthcoming about the qualifications and legal philosophy of any nominee.

MORE OPINIONS
Here are some other important opinions about what a vacancy means:

A Supreme Court Choice Is a Crucial Choice: http://www.IndependentCourt.org

The Significance of O'Connor's Vote: http://www.sctnomination.com/blog/archives/2005/07/significance_of.html

What's at Stake, from saveourcourts.org: http://saveourcourts.civilrights.org/the_facts/whats_at_stake.html

SavetheCourt.org's analysis of the retirement: http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.849267/k.9771/_Save_The_Court_.htm

Alliance for Justice's Supreme Court Watch: http://afj.org/supremecourt/court/index.aspx


MORE INFORMATION
For more information on judicial nominations, click here.