Like Diana Going Solo All Over Again

Just like Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong without Diana Ross, the Supremes have lost their lead voice. We in Chuckonia mourn the loss of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and pray for his family and friends. Unfortunately, this prompts a bit of political discussion. So, from the Chuckonian Weather Service, here's the forecast for Washington...
We'll be seeing cloudy skies as the nation puts Justice Rehnquist to rest in Arlington cemetery. Those clouds will continue until the rescheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearings begin. Then, those clouds will yield rain, lots of rain, like Noah-in-a-cruise-ship kinda rain. After the recent agreement that put the Senate Democrats somewhat at bay over the filibustering of judicial appointments, many thought that John Roberts would be, fairly easily, appointed to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor. Now that the nomination has been tabbed as one for Chief Justice, we're opening up a whole new can of worms. It's ironic to me, the Tuesday before William Rehnquist's death, my former Congressman, Ed Bryant (my pick for the Republican nomination for Tennessee's US Senator), predicted a 75-25 vote confirming John Roberts. All it takes to blow that prediction off is one word - "Chief." Putting that in front of "Justice John Roberts" makes this all the more debate-worthy for Democrats and, I feel, all the more a kick in the teeth for the other current Justices on the Supreme Court. If I were on the Court and the Chief Justice had just died, I would not feel good about the newly-appointed Justice breezing in with automatic seniority. Granted, nothing says that the Chief Justice cannot be a fresh appointee. In fact, nothing says a Justice has to be a judge or lawyer prior to joining the Supremes. There's not even a minimum age (perhaps my next summer job). However, in today's system of "doing things" in Washington, one would expect a current member of the court to be promoted and for the Senate to try to get two nominees through before the first Monday of October (when the Supreme Court session convenes). The more power is at stake, the more dangerous the Senate hearings are going to be. And, from the basic human perspective, the more power is initially granted, the colder the reception might be given to John Roberts if and when he assumes the position of Chief Justice. To prevent a hurricane on the Hill, weatherman Chuck prescribes that one of the current conservative Justices be promoted to Chief Justice, that John Roberts be confirmed to replace Sandra Day O'Connor as soon as possible, and that another nominee be put before the Judiciary Committee as soon as Roberts is out of committee and ready for a floor vote.
If it weren't for William Marbury, James Madison, and John Marshall (if you don't know their connection, look it up, it'll be good for you), we wouldn't be too concerned about this. But, thanks to them and a lot of folks after them, we have to accept that the Supreme Court has incredible power and must be intelligently maintained by the government's other branches. We wish all the best to the Rehnquist family, and in his memory, we also wish Godspeed and good judgment to the branches who must now determine the fate of the Supremes.