On Friday, President Obama announced the impending retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Why did conservatives get blindsided by his nomination? What is Souter’s judicial philosophy? What kind of nominee can we expect from Obama? What does he mean when he says a judge’s empathy is a critical quality in his search for a replacement? What other Obama statements give us an understanding of what he sees as the role of the judicial system? We ask former Justice Department official Barbara Comstock, who has also worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee which will oversee the upcoming confirmation hearings.
