Two UVA alumnae in the mix for Supreme Court
Write a letter to the editor
With the imminent retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Washington is abuzz with rumors of who President Obama might choose to be the next to sit on America’s highest court. With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg having expressed in January that she’s “lonely” without another woman justice among the nine, much of the talk has centered on female candidates, including two alumnae of the University of Virginia. Both Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano— who graduated from UVA Law School in 1983— and MetLife chief litigation counsel Teresa Wynn Roseborough— who earned her B.A. from UVA in 1980— have emerged in multiple media reports as possible candidates for the vacancy. Neither Napolitano, 51, nor Roseborough, 50, have any judicial experience, but both have held prominent legal positions in government. Napolitano is a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General of Arizona, while Roseborough was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department under President Clinton.
–photos courtesy of the UVA School of Law/MetLife
Write a letter to the editor
Obama should definitely appoint a woman, but given the difficulty getting appointees nominated Napolitano should probably stay put.
Ms. Roseborough sounds promising, and though liberal, Republicans may be less willing to go after her given that she’s African American and a woman — already having enough problems with their shrinking party given their increasingly unpopular positions on social issues.
Interesting bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Wynn_Roseborough
Charlottesville’s own Dahlia Lithwick interviewed today on NPR did not mention the two UVA grads but did say her personal favorite was Diane Wood. Ms. Lithwick and Chris Wilson, in an article titled ” “Choose Your Own Supreme Court Justice Out of our Top 20 ” at Slate.com, do include Roseborough and Napalitano.
interview with Ms. Lithwick on NPR:
“Souter’s Successor Will Likely Be A Woman”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103786842
I think President Obama should appoint U Va law school’s Prof. Dan Ortiz, a brilliant lawyer who recently argued and won a case before the US Supreme Court. True he’s not a woman but he’s a very nice person, always willing to accomodate–maybe he might not object to going in drag.