Roundup: Supreme Court Nominee Shortlist Is Out

May 14, 2009, 10:06am

Supreme Court short-list is out; births to unmarried women increasing; Germany imposes restrictions on late-term abortion; Republican obstructionism on nominees continues.

Supreme Court Nominee Shortlist Out
The shortlist is out!
And the announcement of the Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee may
come by the end of the month, CNN reports. "Among the finalists are
federal appeals court judges Sonia Sotomayor
and Diane Wood, and Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said
the sources, who asked not to be identified because they were not
authorized to speak by the White House."

CNN offers brief profiles of the front-runners:

Sotomayor — The 54-year-old judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals would be the first Hispanic justice. She was named a district
judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, and was elevated to her
current seat by President Bill Clinton. Supporters say that appointment
history, along with what they call her moderate-liberal views, would
give her some bipartisan backing in the Senate. But she has suffered
through recent stinging criticism in the media and blogs from both the
left and right over perceived — some defenders say invented —
concerns about her temperament and intellect. Some Hispanic groups
expressed concern after a skit last week on "The Late Show with David
Letterman" compared Sotomayor with a noisy Spanish-speaking judge on a
popular TV courtroom show that settles petty legal disputes.

Kagan — As the administration’s top lawyer when arguing before the
Supreme Court, her recent confirmation hearing was a breeze, with
leading conservative lawyers voicing their support. She has been touted
for consensus-building skills she showed as the recent leader of
Harvard Law School. At age 49, she has no judicial experience, which
some insiders say can be viewed as either a political asset or
liability. Sources say Kagan’s profile has risen somewhat among White
House officials looking at the pros and cons she would bring. Some
conservative legal activists privately believe she would be more
"reasonable" in her views on executive power than other contenders.

Wood — Considered one of the sharpest minds on the Chicago,
Illinois-based appeals court, she also teaches part time at the
University of Chicago, where she met former fellow instructor Obama.
They have remained casual, but not close, friends since then. At 59,
she is among the oldest candidates being given serious scrutiny for the
high court.

Births to Unmarried Women Increasing

The share of births by unmarried mothers is increasing, the New York Times reports,
particularly, the share of births by adult unmarried women. "…[I]n
recent years the birthrate among unmarried women in their 20s and
30s has soared — rising 34 percent since 2002, for example, in women
ages 30 to 34. In 2007, women in their 20s had 60 percent of all babies
born out of wedlock, teenagers had 23 percent and women 30 and older
had 17 percent." Interestingly, this trend is mirrored in a number of
other countries, but is less worrisome to experts because "government
support for children is often higher." “In Sweden, you see very little
variation in the outcome of children
based on marital status. Everybody does fairly well,” said Wendy
Manning, a professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University in
Ohio. “In the U.S., there’s much more disparity.”

Germany Imposes Restrictions on Late-Term Abortion

The Deutsche Welle
reports that the German Parliament has voted to require a three-day
"consideration period" before having a late-term abortion, which will
include "a doctor’s psychological evaluation." "Parliamentarians also
voted in favor of increased consultations and
support for families with handicapped children considering a
termination." The Deutsche Welle points out, "A late-term abortion is
a termination which is carried out after the
20th week in a pregnancy when there is a risk to the physical or mental
health of the mother. Most late-term abortions are carried out when
prenatal diagnosis reveals that the fetus has a severe disability."

Republican Obstructionism on Nominees Continues

Republican
obstructionism on nominations is "an unsustainable way for the
political process to operate," writes Steve Benen on the Washington Monthly. "Let’s acknowledge at the outset that allowing a shrinking Senate
minority to mandate 60 votes for confirmation is itself absurd. No
president in American history has had to deal with this kind of
obstructionism to put together the team he wants, staffing relatively
unknown administration posts. It’s obstructionism on an unprecedented
scale and it’s an unsustainable way for the political process to
operate." Benen writes this in response to Sen. Harry Reid’s announcement that he needs 60 votes to get Office of Legal Counsel nominee Dawn Johnsen confirmed.

Other News to Note
May 13: Jezebel: Parents Freak Over U.K. Morning After Pill Commercial

May 13: Christian NewsWire: Pro-Life Leaders to Announce National Campaign to Fight Against Taxpayer Funded Abortions in President Obama’s Health Care Plan

May 13: WNDU (South Bend): Pro-life groups spend big bucks to protest abortion, Obama ND visit

May 13: LifeNews: Not Notre Dame: Catholic Colleges Applauded for Pro-Life Graduation Speakers

May 13: LifeNews: New Hampshire Pro-Life Group Worries About Catholic-Dartmouth Hospital Merger

May 14: LA Times: Judy Blume’s Planned Parenthood pitch

May 13: Daily News: How Obama should broach abortion at Notre Dame

May 14: Commercial Appeal: Ellen Goodman: Abortion is line drawn in sand

May 14: EasyBourse: Bayer: Rolls Out New Oral Contraceptive Qlaira In Europe

May 13: Fox 12 Oregon: High School Will Prescribe Birth Control

May 13: Globe and Mail: Forty years later, abortion debate rages on

May 13: The American Conservative: Abortion and Catholic Culture