President Bush will announce his nominee for the Supreme Court seat vacated by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a nationally televised press conference Tuesday night.
Bush told reporters today that he would not reveal the name of the nominee until tonight. 'I'll let you know when I'm ready,' Bush said, grinning.
The announcement will be made at 9:00 EDT Tuesday evening. The nominee and his or her family are expected to appear with Mr. Bush when he makes his announcement.
Speculation centers on the probability that the president would select a woman to replace O'Connor although even that is not confirmed. Two of the most mentioned names were Judge Edith Clement and Judge Edith Hollan Jones both of whom presently serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
All Mr. Bush would say was that he had considered 'a variety of people, people from different walks of life.'
White House press secretary, Scott McClellan made a terse announcement this afternoon at the daily press briefing. 'The president has made a decision and will be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court at 9 o'clock,' McClellan said.
The real battle will begin once the president's nominee has to be confirmed by the Senate. A lot will depend on the political views of the nominee on hot button issues like abortion rights, affirmative action and other issues. Democrats may attempt to filibuster the nominee is he or she is considered 'too conservative.' Meanwhile, President Bush's political base among religious conservatives have been pushing for a nominee to their liking.
The new justice will be a critical factor regarding the direction the Supreme Court will take. Justice O’Connor, a moderate conservative appointed by Ronald Reagan, was often the swing vote on many cases which were decided by 5-4 margins.
The debate will begin tonight just after the president announces his choice.
