Obama picked Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter today, making her the third woman and first Hispanic ever nominated for the High Court. Folks rarely vote over judicial nominations (evangelical voters aside), but she could generate a lot of ripple effects. Already, the conventional wisdom from several pundits is that this will put Republicans in a bind – they’d be opposing history if they try to block Sotomayor’s appointment. Yet, as SCOTUS blog points out, there are too many right-wing activists that have devoted too much money to let her slide. Already, her comment that the high court is “where policy is made” is raising the ire of the right.
It’s also proving to be a diving issue for primaries as well; in Florida, Rubio is more likely going to oppose her while Crist’s support for her may cost him further with the base. There will likely be more GOPers (and moderate Dems) who will feel pressure from the base to either support or oppose. There’s also the issue of the nomination’s timing. This is a critical session for the Democrats – healthcare and energy reform are both on an the front burner, along with backlogged executive appointments, a 2010 appropriations bill, and transportation – and the spectacle of a Supreme Court nomination battle could put a huge damper on the Democratic party’s agenda, giving incumbents less to go home and brag about for 2010.
Thoughts? Will Sotomayor impact the 2010 elections in any way, or will she just be a blip on the screen by then? As an aside, what do you think this will portend for the MN Senate recount (my money is on Coleman appealing to SCOTUS for sure now to keep Franken from voting her in).