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--Scott Lemieux
A couple of items about the Supreme Court nomination that seems likely to be made next week:
- Earlier this week, President Obama interviewed the thinking progressive's choice, Diane Wood. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
- As I've said before, two of the four nominees Obama and Biden have apparently interviewed -- Elana Kagan and Merrick Garland -- strike me as obviously unacceptable given the Democratic majority in the Senate. The fourth potential nominee, Sidney Thomas, has a somewhat more promising record. As John Schwartz's article today indicates, Thomas has some of the same virtues as Wood -- he is extremely smart, has a solid progressive record (including on such issues as native rights), and as a graduate of University of Montana Law School would represent a break in the Court's Ivy League hegemony. While I would still prefer Wood, Thomas is certainly an attractive candidate for future vacancies.
--Scott Lemieux