To the Point
The Future of the Supreme Court
Sometimes a president's most lasting impact is his Supreme Court appointees. States' rights, affirmative action and abortion could be at stake if justices act as they're expected. Yet lifetime appointees often defy those who name them. While they deny they'll use a "litmus test," Gore and Bush have sent signals about their choices to lead the third branch of government. Two former supreme court clerks, leaders of liberal and conservative public interest organizations, and a reporter who covers the Texas legal system ponder upcoming vacancies, who the candidates would likely appoint, and whether the new justices would perform as expected. Newsmaker: Efforts for an Israeli-Palestinian peace were jarred today by a car bomb in Jerusalem that killed 2 and injured 10. But says Cameron Barr, Middle East correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, even that hasn't derailed the attempt to halt such violence. He speaks with us from Jerusalem about restraint, frustration, and hopeful signs. Reporter's Notebook: Some 31 years after he leaked the Pentagon Papers to a Senate committee and profoundly influenced the conduct of the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg alerts us to a bill on President Clinton's desk that would criminalize actions like his and force journalists to reveal sources.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readSometimes a president's most lasting impact is his Supreme Court appointees. States' rights, affirmative action and abortion could be at stake if justices act as they're expected. Yet lifetime appointees often defy those who name them. While they deny they'll use a "litmus test," Gore and Bush have sent signals about their choices to lead the third branch of government. Two former supreme court clerks, leaders of liberal and conservative public interest organizations, and a reporter who covers the Texas legal system ponder upcoming vacancies, who the candidates would likely appoint, and whether the new justices would perform as expected.
Newsmaker: Efforts for an Israeli-Palestinian peace were jarred today by a car bomb in Jerusalem that killed 2 and injured 10. But says Cameron Barr, Middle East correspondent for the
Christian Science Monitor, even that hasn't derailed the attempt to halt such violence. He speaks with us from Jerusalem about restraint, frustration, and hopeful signs.
Reporter's Notebook: Some 31 years after he leaked the Pentagon Papers to a Senate committee and profoundly influenced the conduct of the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg alerts us to a bill on President Clinton's desk that would criminalize actions like his and force journalists to reveal sources.