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How to add spice to Ginsburg story

By Mark Obbie

USA Today's Joan Biskupic gets Justice Ruth Ginsburg's first post-surgery interview, which the paper played out front. The short, one-source story is a feel-good piece -- not that there's anything wrong with that. Ginsburg undoubtedly agreed to talk to signal that she is not near death or about to vacate her seat. And the strategy worked, as Biskupic writes:I would have done more with the story to avoid feeling used as a Court PR device. I think the medical angle has been hashed over as thoroughly as can be expected. But there's a broader context that would lend perspective to Ginsburg's image of normalcy: How has Ginsburg's speedy recovery affected nomination preparations or partisan maneuvering? Do nomination-battle warriors on either side believe that Ginsburg won't step down soon? How might William Rehnquist's attempts to project a similar image undercut Ginsburg's case? Would Ginsburg's remaining on the Court affect plans by other justices -- John Paul Stevens, for instance -- who now might see the way clear to retire at the end of this term? Of course, some of these themes are bound to be more speculative than sourced, or they've been hashed over in other forums. A story serving a simple purpose -- especially in the tight confines of a USA Today front-pager -- can't do it all. But it could have done more.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on March 06, 2009 (boomark / email).