My SCOTUS shortlist.

I figured I'd join in on the rampant speculation on the next supreme court nominee, so here are my picks to get the job. These are the people who I think could actually be picked, not necessarily who I want to be picked (not in any particular order).

Consuelo Callahan (9th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Edith Clement (5th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Edith Jones (5th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Karen Williams (4th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Larry Thompson (Former Deputy Attorney General)
Alice Batchelder (6th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Maura Corrigan (Michigan Supreme Court)
Emilio Garza (5th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Sam Alito (3rd Circuit Court of Appeals)

Please note the conspicuous absence of Alberto Gonzales. I think that Gonzales is probably on the President's short list, but I think that the President knows what such a nomination would do to his approval rating.

Consuelo Callahan is probably my most of-the-wall prediction. She's not on most short lists, but an Associated Press article which is being constantly updated, re-titled, and then run again added her to it's watchlist yesterday. Such a late addition to a watchlist tells me that there may be some inside info that the President is looking at her. I think that she warrants heavy consideration in that she is the only candidate who is both female and Hispanic.

I list the two Ediths only because Clement seems to have been runner up to John Roberts and Jones has been on the short list for every Republican SCOTUS nomination since Souter. I don't think that they are the top candidates, but I can't bring myself to leave them out. I think that Clement is more likely than Jones.

Karen Williams is on everyone's RADAR., She was also fingered by Jay Sekulow (who supposedly has inside info) as one of the three people to watch in an interview with Sean Hannity. The other members of Sekulow's short list are Larry Thompson and Alberto Gonzales.

For why I picked Thompson, re-read the last sentence of the previous paragraph.

Batchelder is on the list because of the speed with which she shot to the top of most lists. Nobody mentioned her a week ago, but now she's on every list.

Corrigan is on my list because she is still being talked about with great frequency, more so than when she was being considered for first vacancy.

I like Garza because he is both Hispanic and a solid conservative. He was on he short list for the seat that went to Roberts, and was also interviewed for the seat that went to Clarence Thomas.

I'm going out on a limb with Alito, but he is the candidate who seems to be the most like Scalia (he has been nicknamed "Scalito"). Since Bush said that he was looking for someone like Scalia or Thomas, Alito has to be on the list. Jay Sekulow seemed to really like this guy when he was on Hannity.

I left off Janice Rogers Brown because she is (unfortunately) too controversial, and I omitted Harriet Miers because she is too close to the President.

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