NPR has learned that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the court’s current term.
The court has completed hearing oral arguments for the year and will be issuing rulings and opinions until the end of June.
Souter is expected to remain on the bench until a successor has been chosen and confirmed, which may or may not be accomplished before the court reconvenes in October.
At 69, Souter is nowhere near the oldest member of the court, but he has made clear to friends for some time now that he wanted to leave Washington, a city he has never liked, and to return to his native New Hampshire.
Now, according to reliable sources he has decided to take the plunge and has informed the White House of his decision.
Justice Souter’s retirement would not change the ideological makeup of the court, since he generally votes with the more liberal members even though he was appointed by George H. W. Bush.
Just for the sake of interest, here are the ages of the other eight justices: John Roberts, 54; John Paul Stevens, 89; Antonin Scalia, 73; Anthony Kennedy, 72; Clarence Thomas, 60; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 76; Stephen Breyer, 70; and Samuel Alito, 59.
UPDATE: NBC News is now running with the story, also.
In a “Today” show interview this morning, host Matt Lauer asked Biden what advice he would give a family member who wanted to jump on a commercial airliner to Mexico, ground zero of the swine flu outbreak.
“I would tell members of my family — and I have — I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now,” said Biden, adding that it’s not so much the destination as the means of getting there that concerns him.
“You’re in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That’s me. I would not be, at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway,” Biden continued. “So from my perspective, what it relates to is mitigation.
“If you’re out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes, that’s one thing. If you’re in a closed aircraft or a closed container, a closed car, a closed classroom, it’s a different thing.”
Here’s video:
I wish somebody (preferably from the medical community) would explain to me how what the Vice President said does not make sense. If we are on the verge of a worldwide pandemic (and most reports seem to indicate that we are), how is it not common sense to avoid crowded and closed spaces? And while you’re at it, perhaps you can explain why we are closing schools and not offices and businesses. Are children of school age more susceptible to the H1N1 flu virus than are adults?
Think about this the next time you are sitting in a crowded airplane, subway car or office and the person sitting next to you lets go with a big old sneeze. Then come back and tell me all about how what the vice president said this morning was such a big old gaffe. Do that for me, won’t you? Thanks.
Posted by Len on Thursday, April 30th, 2009 at 12:52 pm CT in Politics,Republicans
Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican from North Carolina’s 5th District, claims “we know” that the murder of Matthew Shepard was a hoax…
This type of ignorance and outright stupidity is probably one of the reasons so few people (and fewer every day) are willing to associate themselves with the reactionary fringe group that is today’s Republican party.
The thing about this that truly sickens is the fact that Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, was sitting in the House gallery and listening to this.
How long will it be before Representative Foxx apologizes?
UPDATE: A couple of more videos worth your time (h/t John Aravosis):
