Culture War and the Supreme Court
Kassidy Cragg
U.S. v. Windsor
Citizens United v. FEC
Roe v. Wade
Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court possibilities if Romney is elected
Judge Janice Rogers Brown, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
Born 1949. Former California Supreme Court justice, who was among the first African-Americans appointed to that bench. Regarded as a strong reliable conservative in GOP circles. Her father was a sharecropper and she attended segregated schools before moving to Sacramento. She worked in the state attorney general's office, was Gov. Pete Wilson's legal secretary, and a state appeals judge. A former liberal and considered iconoclastic with strong religious convictions. Her nomination to the federal appeals court for the D.C. Circuit was held up by partisan wrangling. That and her age would be factors against high court consideration.
Supreme Court possibilities if Obama is reelected
Judge Paul Watford, 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, San Francisco
Born 1967. His age and race (African-American) have made him a favorite among some liberal court watchers. Named to the appeals court in 2012. Clerked for conservative Judge Alex Kozinski on the 9th Circuit, and later for liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A former federal prosecutor and law firm partner. Supporters call him an ideological moderate, which may not sit well with progressives seeking a stronger left-leaning voice.
"Ultimately, that's actually not what Americans want. We don't want judges that are going to vote their interest group. We want judges who are going to vote with the Constitution: what they think is the correct legal and constitutional result. And that is what Governor Romney has been emphasizing," Severino said.