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Who Will Obama Nominate for the Supreme Court Seat to be Vacated by Justice Stevens? Ann Claire Williams Looks Like a Good Possibility

By Andis Kaulins

What candidate is likely to be Obama's Supreme Court nomination for the seat to be vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens? Stevens is going into retirement at age 90 at the end of this term, having served on SCOTUS since December 19, 1975.

Could Obama nominate a black woman to this position successfully at this point in time, or should he wait until a more opportune time - e.g. when Justice Ginsburg steps down?

A posting by Christi Parsons at The Swamp (April 21, 2010) -- from the Washington Bureau of the Chicago Tribune -- titled Chicagoan joins Supreme Court search informs us that:

"Judge Ann Claire Williams, who became the first African-American appellate judge in the federal Seventh Circuit, has joined a working list of about 10 other candidates, the White House confirmed today. "

At Judges, politicians on latest list of high-court contenders, Bill Mears at CNN writes in short:

"Judge Ann Claire Williams, 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Chicago
... Lives in the same Chicago neighborhood as Obama did before the president moved to Washington, and he knows her personally...."

A comprehensive biography for the Hon. Judge Williams is found at the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School.

We were impressed from the Cornell bio by the fact that Judge Williams served as President of the Federal Judges Association, which indicates a high standing among her peers, an essential factor when considering the nomination of the first black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Politically, since Judge Williams was initially appointed as a federal judge by Ronald Reagan, that fact would make it very difficult for conservatives to mount any kind of sustained attack on her nomination, even if she has also had the strong support of liberals.

As noted in her Cornell bio, there is also connection to the current Chief Justice at SCOTUS:

"In 2008, Chief Justice John G. Roberts appointed Judge Williams to a second three-year term on the Supreme Court Fellows Program Commission."

Other recent articles or postings related to this topic:

Ann Claire Williams, Chicago Judge, On Supreme Court Short List, Says White House - Huffington Post

Scotus Pick News: No Abortion ?Test?; Welcome Judge Williams! - WSJ Law Blog at the Wall Street Journal Online - Amir Efrati writes:

"One area that Obama on Wednesday said was important to him: women?s rights. ?I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, and that includes women?s rights,?..."

President Obama Urged To Appoint First African American Woman to U.S. Supreme Court:
NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF ANN CLAIRE WILLIAMS AS FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE - On the Beat with Mary Benton

Full post as published by LawPundit on April 30, 2010 (boomark / email).