Guest Author - Candance Gordon

Appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1990, Justice David Souter was expected to be an asset to those pushing their conservative agenda .It seemed like they might be getting what they wanted when, in his first reproductive rights case on the Supreme Court, he voted to uphold the “Gag Rule’ which banned federally funded clinics from giving women information and referrals about abortions. However in the case of Planned Parenthood vs. Casey he wrote an opinion with Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy that reaffirmed the core constitutional right to abortion set forth in Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Had he chosen to vote with his “conservative” counterparts, Roe would’ve been overturned. Since then, he has almost always voted pro-choice.

With the number of conservative, anti-choice judges currently sitting on the Supreme Court, it’s important that President Obama choose a judge that is committed to protecting our right to choose. Experts are saying there is little doubt he’ll appoint a liberal judge and, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg being the only female in the high court right now, there is a lot of pressure for him to appoint a woman. Even though the appointment is several months away, there are already a few women whose names keep coming up in legal circles.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor is being described by some media outlets as a “shoe-in” for the position. In 1991, President g H.W. Bush nominated her for a seat on the U.S. District Court for Southern New York and in 1997 President Bill Clinton nominated her to her current position on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She is considered a moderate, but is decidedly pro-choice. If chosen, she will be the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is supposedly also on Obama’s short list of choices. Before being elected Michigan’s first female governor in 2003, she was their Attorney General. She was also a member of the Obama Transition Team. She was endorsed by the Pro-Choice PAC, Emily’s List and has vetoed two bills that would restrict a woman’s right to choose since her election.

Recently confirmed U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan is also rumored to be in consideration for the Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold this position and was also the first woman dean of Harvard Law School. Unlike Judge Sotomayor, she is considered a liberal but is also pro-choice.

With the current judges starting to inch towards 70 and Justice Ginsburg recently disclosing she’s been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, Obama is likely to nominate three Supreme Court justices during his presidency. Anti-choice groups are gearing up to attack the pro-choice candidates but those in- the -know say Obama shouldn’t have any trouble getting his nominees confirmed. You never know how things will unfold in Washington but one thing is certain-reproductive rights are going to get a lot of attention in the coming months.