His choices are white, male, conservative and solidly competent
Ronald Reagan has rarely written himself a better script. Faced with filling a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, he named the high bench's first woman Justice: the capable, personable and conservative Sandra Day O'Connor. The President's backers were mostly delighted, and his critics were momentarily disarmed. At the midpoint of his term, the choice of O'Connor continues to control the public impression of Reagan's judicial nominations. With little public fanfare, he has appointed 88 other judges to life tenure on district and circuit courts—the federal trial and appeals bench. They, and...
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