O'Connor Says She'll Delay Retirement if Asked

Posted on September 21, 2005

Despite the pledge to vote no on confirming John Roberts by several prominent Democrats, including Harry Reid and John Kerry, Roberts looks poised to be the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. And that has a lot of people very worried. Now Senator Arlen Specter has gotten a promise from O'Connor to delay her retirement until the nation has a chance to see what kind of justice Roberts will make. But when Specter approached President Bush with his "go-slow approach" to filling O'Connor's spot, the president was less than receptive, according to Bloomberg.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he urged President George W. Bush today to delay nominating a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said he talked to Justice O'Connor about staying on the high court. "She's prepared to do that" through the court's term ending in June, Specter said. The president "was noncommittal," Specter said. "The body language was not very positive," Specter said.
Specter said the delay would give Congress and the rest of America more time to know John Roberts as chief justice. "When we know a little more about Judge Roberts it's going to be easier with the next" nomination, Specter said.

Oh, please: now she decides she can delay her retirement? She shouldn't be retiring at all. Period.