… in need of confirmation.  From our recent interview with David Barton this exchange emerged, revealing a very interesting rumor:

John:  What do you see as the 5 most important issues for the current election cycle — and take a shot at ’08 too.

Barton:  The 5 most important issues for the election cycle are all the same:  The judiciary.  Additionally, one of the justices has told friends that he intends to retire very soon.  Therefore, what every Senate race is about in this cycle is the ability to get a fifth strict constructionist on the US Supreme Court and thus begin rolling back 40 years of judicial activism and return decisions about cultural issues back to the people.

John:  Now, is this proposed resignation going to happen before the next court term?

Barton:  Well . . . perhaps . . . .

John:  Is there a commitment there?

Barton:  That particular justice has said that he was appointed by a Republican and he is going to allow a Republican to appoint his replacement.  That’s gotta happen in the next two years, in my thinking.  I know some inside guys in D.C. who are on pins and needles right now, thinking that it may happen shortly, even this term.  If it were to happen this term, it would actually change the complexion of most Senate races.  If it happens after the election – after the 2006 election – it will certainly change the complexion of the presidential race in 2008.  We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks, but even if that were not something that we’d been told was going to happen soon, you still have the age issue for one justice and health issues for another justice, so there are two to three on the verge of retiring within a short period of time.  In my mind, the most important thing for any presidential race or any Senate race is what happens with judicial nominees. 

Are you supporting Hugh Hewitt’s “Big 10″? (See the advertisement in the right hand column.) The entire David Barton interview is now in transcription and we will publish it as soon as available, but we thought you’d be interested in this bit of information right away.

Technorati Tags: SCOTUS, retirement, Senate races, Supreme Court, justice, nomination, Republican

 
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