Every time President Obama gets a chance to nominate a new Supreme Court justice (okay, both times), there appears to be some invisible force chipping away at typical GOP stonewalling on the possibility of choosing a gay candidate. When Justice David Souter made his exit last year, Alabama’s Sen. Jeff Sessions said he’d at least keep an open mind about a gay appointee. And now that Justice John Paul Stevens is making his exit, another veteran Republican is coming around.
John Cornyn, the Texas senator on the Judiciary Committee, says he’d “have to think about” a gay nominee, but concludes, “as long as it doesn’t interfere with their job, it’s not a particular issue.” Of course, there is always an escape hatch: The new judge cannot be one of these activist judges legislating from the bench! And of course, with a gay appointee, it’s easy to argue (in their heads) that she would immediately be for same-sex marriage.
“The one litmus test I have is, ‘No ideologues,'” says Cornyn. And even if a gay nominee isn’t an ideologue, it’ll be easy to brand her as such. With some help from AFA, of course.
Andy
i·de·o·logue -noun 1. A person whose ideology is different from mine.
I think all prospective candidates for political office should have to take an IQ test, or at least that one with the holes and shapes.
delurker again
Cornyn and the other Republicans are fine with the activist ideologues that Bush appointed.
Andrew
Kathleen Sullivan. KTHXBI.
Cam
So this guy is trying to say that Scalia or Thomas aren’t ideologues?
ChicagoJimmy
I would rather have a strong progressive than a gay supporter of unfettered executive power and unlimited detention of prisoners of war. (cough cough, Elena Kagan, cough cough)
I hope he fights for a true replacement for Stevens and not just a sad successor who will get confirmed easily.
tjr101
According to Jon Cornyn and the Republicans any nominee that doesn’t tilt to the right is a judicial activist. Funny that they didn’t shout judicial activism when the supreme court placed Bush Jr. in the White House.
The four hardcore conservative justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito are as activist as you can get on the court. Decisions made by these justices are considered mainstream by conservatives because it suits their selfish narrow minded whims
Robert
I agree ChicagoJimmy. I don’t want Elena Kagan anywhere near the bench. Corporatist defender of state-privilege? No thanks, give me an old white straight male who believes in equality and opposes corporatism over a conservative homosexual like Kagan.
Wade MacMorrighan
HA! I would frakking LOVE to see mags pitch a fit is a lesbian was appointed as a SCOTUS! MUWAHAHAHA!!!
S
@ChicagoJimmy:
He won’t.