The Future of the Supreme Court

With Justice John Paul Stevens turning 90 this month and apparently contemplating retirement, the Obama administration will likely have another opportunity to fill a Supreme Court seat hot on the heels of Justice Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation last year. Though the administration claims (somewhat unbelievably) that it has not discussed the situation, the list of interviewees from the last go-round could provide guidance on a potential second appointment for Obama. According to Bloomberg, Elena Kagan and Diane Wood are among the front runners. Either would represent just the fourth female justice in US Supreme Court history. Confirmation of a female would also mark the first time that three women were seated concurrently on the highest court in the land, with Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg currently serving.