One instance where Slow Hiring could be good for the American People
Posted on 03 September 2009
MSNBC is reporting that Justice John Paul Stevens has hired far fewer law clerks than usual, when Justice Souter failure to hire clerks was his first signal that he was considering leaving the court.
In response to a question from The Associated Press, Stevens confirmed through a court spokeswoman Tuesday that he has hired only one clerk for the term that begins in October 2010. He is among several justices who typically have hired 
all four clerks for the following year by now. Retired justices are allowed to hire one clerk.
The White House declined to comment on this.
Stevens could retire now with his legacy of opinions favoring individual rights and citizens over corporations intact and really has little to gain from staying on a conservative-leaning court led by Chief Justice John Roberts.
"The other thing he could do by retiring sooner is achieve a sort of secondary legacy, by allowing President Obama to choose an ideologically compatible successor," a former law clerk said.
If this is the case, President Obama would be able to nominate a second justice in the course of just 12 months likely rendering safe the threat the current court poses to the legality of abortions in the US.
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