It has now been six years between appointments. To find a longer period without a single new justice being named, you d have to go back 177 years to James Monroe s administration. Then there s simple math. Four of the nine justices are 67 or older and two more will turn 65 next year. It s no surprise that many Court watchers are expecting two, three or even four retirements within the next president s term of office.
Polls increasingly say they do.
In a recent Newsweek poll, over a third said they consider Supreme Court nominations very important to them in making their choice for the White House and 50 percent of women believe that the right to choose hinges on the next president s appointments. That poll also showed that social conservatives overwhelmingly expect Bush to nominate justices who oppose abortion. The Religious Right and their political allies have long treated the Court as the spoils of politics and this year they are going all out to drive home that message. Their leaders, such as televanglists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, are exhorting their followers to work to take home the Court as their prize this year. What Robertson and the others understand is that they are this one election away from achieving everything they ve worked for but couldn t overcome presidential vetoes to win, such as more government restrictions on abortion and laws permitting school-sponsored prayer.