By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
Wood’s 14 years alongside Posner and Easterbrook, who often serve together as a panel of the circuit court, are being studied afresh as President Obama prepares to make his first nomination to the Supreme Court. Wood, described by associates as smart, progressive, steadfast and collegial, is a onetime colleague of Obama’s at the University of Chicago and is considered by many to be on the shortlist of potential replacements for retiring Justice David H. Souter.
Wood knows what it is like to duel two of the most formidable and prolific conservative jurists in the country, a key element of Obama’s search as he tries to shift the dynamic of a court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Antonin Scalia.
“She’s as bright as Posner and Easterbrook and really holds her own, and I think she would hold her own with the great intellects on the high court as well,” said Chicago lawyer Fay Clayton, who has argued many 7th Circuit cases. “Everything she does is based on precedent and statutory construction and the facts.” (Emphasis added.) MUCH MORE
It’s easy to bash any sitting President, as decisions are often made based on classified information the general population is not privy to; while it appears that Obama is following in Bush’s footsteps on several fronts, the intense efforts to make other changes that will ultimately lead us back to what our Constitution and Bill of Rights embodies are being made - and to be successful while combating GOP obstructionism will either make or break the Obama administration, and so far, the GOP doesn’t seem to comprehend that Obama is looking forward on issues that have been rendered moot by the Bush administration. If we can get President Obama to offer some real help to those that need it most - and that doesn’t include banks, our prospects for a real financial recovery may be better than ever.
William Cormier
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