JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA COULD SUCCEED REHNQUIST, SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH WHITE HOUSE THINKING ON JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS TELLS TIME, BUT ITS NOT A LOCK

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday, January 23, 2005

New York The guessing game is in full swing over which of the Supreme Courts sitting Justices is most likely to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist if he is forced to retire, TIMEs James Carney and Matthew Cooper report. If he does not go outside for the job, President Bush will probably choose one of the courts two most stalwart conservatives, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Scalia seems to have the edge.

The idea of appointing the first African-American Chief Justice has undeniable appeal to the President, says a top Republican who informally advises the White House on judicial nominations. But thered be a huge fight over Thomas, and the President doesnt need a fight. Though Scalias conservatism irks many Democrats, he was confirmed easily by the Senate in 1986, and would probably be confirmed again without too much trouble, TIME reports.

Yet Scalia does not have a lock on the job. According to several sources familiar with White House thinking on the judicial nominations, the President and his advisers are worried that the tart-tongued Justice may not have the people skills to manage the court, build consensus among its nine members and represent the institution in public. That may explain why the famously dyspeptic Scalia has become a merry mainstay on the A-list Washington social circuit of late. At parties ranging from a charity dinner at the Kuwaiti embassy two weeks ago to an Inaugural lunch at D.C.s chic Caf Milano, guests have been surprised to find the once reclusive Scalia mixing with the citys power brokers, making small talk and telling jokes. Lately Ive been running into Nino everywhere, says a friend and fellow lawyer. Hes showing that he actually can be charming and gregarious. Its a sign that hes really interested in the job, TIME reports.

Full story is on TIME.com at

https://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1019780,00.html

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