The Politics of Choosing Justices

Fresh Air

Published November 14, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

President Bush's three recent Supreme Court nominations reveal the complications and motives involved when politicians choose the nation's top judges, legal observers say. With Justice Sandra Day O'Connor set to retire months after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, many interest groups expect -- and demand -- that their replacements reflect political concerns.

Political science professor David Yalof is an expert on the history and evolution of the Supreme Court nomination process. In January, Senate hearings to confirm Samuel Alito begin. Yalof is a University of Connecticut professor and the author of Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Nominees.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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