How many supreme court appointments do you think President Obama will get?

[Politics_Guy25]

I think he'll get Stevens for sure. And possibly Ginsburg. I'm hoping for Kennedy to step down as well but I doubt that he will.

So I say 1 or 2. How about you?

He will, however, make a tremendously positive impact on the federal appellate courts with hundreds of appointments.

[daninthemoon]

1. 3 or 4. Some of them have been hanging on just to outlive bush

[Lint Head]

2. I'll go out on a limb and say 3.

The United Supreme Cowards are getting old really fast. :dem:

[marco86]

3. Stevens, Ginsburg definitely

50/50 shot of getting a third

[Politics_Guy25]

5. If Kennedy did step down

That would give us a 5-4 liberal majority!!

I know not likely but I can dream. lol.

[yourout]

4. I really hope he gets to relace Scalia.

For any reason.

[bluetrain]

6. 3. Two will retire and a third will suddenly die.

[regnaD kciN]

25. Maybe we should emulate the Religious Right...

...and start praying for God to "call home" Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito. :evilgrin:

[bluetrain]

29. Alito worries me the most.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. I hope for 9.

I would like Stevens, Breyer, Kinsberg, Souter, and Kennedy to retire..I don't care how Scalia, Roberts, Alito and Thomas have to be replaced.

[skooooo]

8. 125?

[Hawkeye-X]

9. Obama gets 4.

Stevens, Ginsburg, Kennedy and Scalia (after a fatal heart attack in July of '09 - count on it)

Maybe 5 if Uncle Tom steps down shortly after Scalia dies - has no lead.

Hawkeye-X

[CK_John]

10. IMO, I think it will be 5 or 6 , including Roberts and Scalia. They have served their masters well

and will move on to their rich rewards. These 2 will be among the first to leave.

[Cosmocat]

26. Not a chance ...

Roberts will die in office before he steps down in the first D admin since an R put him in.

There was a reason they picked this guy in his 50s. I am 42, and I don't know that I will ever see a SC without him on it.

[ddeclue]

11. 2 - one in his first term one in his second. n/t

[onehandle]

12. Two. Maybe three by his second term. However the court will be conservative for decades.

Thank Ralph Nader.

[Liberal Gramma]

13. I'm hoping for five.

The two or three who have been waiting for a Democratic president, and three of the worst conservatives.

[yellowcanine]

14. I am guessing 3 or 4 in two terms. I think one of them will be Scalia or Thomas.

I don't see Scalia aging gracefully like Stevens. Thomas strikes me as someone who could drop dead of a heart attack. Such an angry stressed out man.

[Morning Dew]

15. 3 for this term.

Stevens and Ginsburg will retire on their own. Illness will force Roberts to retire.

Thomas will become ill but not retire - it's possible no one will notice his absence.

[TexasObserver]

16. FIVE: Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsberg & Breyer

Stevens is 88.

Souter is 69.

Ginsberg is 75.

Kennedy is 72.

Breyer is 70.

It's time for Obama to create a five vote majority on the court, to corral forever Scalia, Alito, Roberts, and Thomas.

[blue_onyx]

17. I think 3

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens for sure. I've read that Stephen Breyer wants to leave as well. The rest are mostly conservatives who will try to wait for a Republican to win the presidency. Maybe if Obama wins a second term (fingers crossed), he might be able to replace a conservative justice.

[ShadowLiberal]

18. 3, Souter hates the commute & the job, he wants to stay in NH, Stevens & Ginsberg will retire

It's been said in plenty of places in the news media that Souter is widely believed to hate the job, and hate DC and the commute to it, and wants to be able to live out his life in his homestate of New Hampshire.

Steven's and Ginsberg are also quite old and likely to retire knowing that someone who they'll likely strongly agree with will be appointed to the court to replace them.

Then there's always the possibility of someone dropping dead all of a sudden from a heart attack, or an illness, as others here have said.

[Warren Stupidity]

19. 3 the first term, potentially 2 more the second.

The court could shift completely.

[Blackhatjack]

20. Three(3) - Souter, Stevens & Ginsburg (AND A POSSIBLE BIG IF...)

I read an anonymous piece some time over the last year that John Roberts, recently confirmed Chief Justice and relatively young, might have a serious health problem which necessitates an early departure from the bench. The person making the allegation indicated that Roberts' problem involves seizures of unknown(or undisclosed) origins. THat would be a Republican's worst nightmare! Especially since they chose a relatively young ideologue to carry the conservative torch for decades to come.

Imagine for a moment where we might be if 3 SCOTUS Nominees were seated early in Obama's first term, and Roberts stepped down before Obama left office. It likely would mean the end of the rightwing fundamentalists being engaged in supporting the candidates of the Republican Party since there would little chance of changing the balance on the SCOTUS for at least 10 years.

In any event it will mean we will not be stuck with more conservative Justices on the bench of the SCOTUS while Obama is in office.

[TheKentuckian]

21. I'm thinking three

but it'll be swapping like minds.

Maybe in the 2nd term one of the conservatives will depart and we'll get a little shift.

[saltpoint]

22. As many as possible would be a good number for me.

Talk about a stable that needs a good riverwash.

[tedoll78]

23. At least three.

Souter, Stevens, and Ginsburg are almost guaranteed. Stevens - appointed by Gerald Ford waaay back in the mid-70's - is my personal hero for holding-on for so long.

Kennedy or Scalia or Thomas is next. All are older. Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, has been on the bench now for two decades. And Scalia doesn't have the healthiest of eating habits.

If any one of those three flips, we have a 5-4 liberal court. Imagine the exploding heads in such a scenario.. :P

[regnaD kciN]

24. I'm hoping for enough...

...to replace all those on the left side of the court who want to leave (Stevens and Ginzburg for sure, and possibly Souter as well) plus one of the Reagan/Bush appointees.

[Hippo_Tron]

27. The big question is Scalia, he's 72 and the court doesn't pay well

He's gonna have to decide whether or not he's gonna sit around and continue to destroy the constitution or cash in.

[tedoll78]

28. He seems too stubborn..

to give-up his beloved theocratic ideology for money.

My guess is that he either retires when the next GOP president comes along, or he steps-down because of health issues.