SCOTUS Derby

Here's a name I don't remember reading before. And I thought I was paying attention...

From a ConfirmThem story on Priscilla Owen:

"...Joy Clement remains VERY much in the running, or at least was in the running still late last week. The president personally has asked top Louisiana politicians about Clement, supposedly, and his college roommate is a big booster of hers, supposedly."

Louisiana, eh? Perhaps they'd be looking at way to ensure that Mary Landrieu of 'Gang of 14' fame votes for cloture against a filibuster.

She's from the 5th Circuit, where Priscilla Owen is on the bench now, and to which Charles Pickering had also been nominated. She was confirmed in November 2001 in a 99-0 vote of the Senate whereas the other two had been blocked. (source: Left-wing 'Independant Judiciary')

Her specialty appears to be maritime law, as is cited all over the place. I don't see the Dems getting too worked up over that, at least not without great effort.

She'd be about as moderate a pick as we're likely to see GWB make. I'm hoping, though, that whatever his decision is, he won't have made it based on a race- or sex-based calculus.