Justice Barack Obama? Law Prof Says President Could Nominate Himself
A law professor has added another name to the list of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees: President Barack Obama.
Obama’s cerebral and even-tempered disposition makes him well-suited to lead the liberal wing of the U.S. Supreme Court, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen writes in the Washington Post.
“It would be unusual, but not difficult, for Obama to get himself on the Supreme Court,” Rosen writes. “He could nominate himself to replace John Paul Stevens, for example, or he could gamble and promise Hillary Rodham Clinton that he won’t run for re-election in 2012 in exchange for a pledge of appointment to the next vacancy.”
Rosen notes Sarah Palin’s recent criticism that Obama is too much of a constitutional law professor. But Obama’s academic credentials would serve him well on the court, Rosen writes, along with his “detached and judicious disposition” and his willingness to compromise.
“It’s surprising but true that the least successful presidents are often the most judicious, while the most successful justices are the most pragmatic,” Rosen writes. “Obama’s willingness to compromise and listen to opposing points of view, in other words, may hamper him in overhauling health care—public option, anyone?—but would make him an unusually effective leader on the Supreme Court.”
