White House prepares for high court vacancy
Associated Press (via ABC News):
The White House has laid the groundwork to place more conservatives on the Supreme Court, scrutinizing the backgrounds and legal views of a shrinking list of candidates amid speculation that ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist soon will step down.Keenly aware that a chapter of President Bush's legacy is at stake, conservative and liberal advocacy groups are preparing for what both sides believe will be a bruising confirmation fight.
Court experts expect that Rehnquist, who is battling thyroid cancer, will leave by the end of June when the current court session concludes.
One candidate apparently on the short list: Theodore B. Olson, now the U.S. solicitor general. As an attorney in private practice, Mr. Olson (successfully) represented then-Governor Bush before the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore.
UPDATE -- In a comment below, Kip advises that the Department of Justice's website is out of date and that Mr. Olson is no longer solicitor general, having left that position in July 2004. Kip also notes that Mr. Olson's wife, Barbara, died in the attacks of 9/11. She was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which hit the Pentagon.