WI: Orrin Hatch tapped for Supreme Court during Bush years?

Zioneer

Banned
So what if one of the conservative Justices on the Supreme Court during the Bush years die, and are replaced with Orrin Hatch? Apparently, he had interest in serving on the Supreme Court, and was considered more than once as a possibility.

I'm assuming that he'd be much the same as the other conservative judges, so I'm more interested what happens if a conservative judge (doesn't matter who) dies right when politics in Utah are shifting a bit more liberal than usual (early 2008 perhaps).

Could a moderate or even somewhat liberal person take Hatch's place as Senator? Could even a conservative Democrat like Jim Matheson become Senator?

I know that I'm one of the few Utahn AH.com members, and so am one of the few with interest in Utah politics, but I was just curious to see if Hatch leaving Utah could be a opportunity for moderates to gain power in Utah.

Does anyone think this is plausible?
 
So what if one of the conservative Justices on the Supreme Court during the Bush years die, and are replaced with Orrin Hatch? Apparently, he had interest in serving on the Supreme Court, and was considered more than once as a possibility.

I'm assuming that he'd be much the same as the other conservative judges, so I'm more interested what happens if a conservative judge (doesn't matter who) dies right when politics in Utah are shifting a bit more liberal than usual (early 2008 perhaps).

Could a moderate or even somewhat liberal person take Hatch's place as Senator? Could even a conservative Democrat like Jim Matheson become Senator?

I know that I'm one of the few Utahn AH.com members, and so am one of the few with interest in Utah politics, but I was just curious to see if Hatch leaving Utah could be a opportunity for moderates to gain power in Utah.

Does anyone think this is plausible?

Orin Hatch is too old to be nominated in W's time... those appointment's are strategic... you want someone no older than 60 who can do you bidding for decades after you are gone

Maybe during HWB's time is more plausible but in terms of a dem winning a general there I'm dubious McCain carried the state by 20+ points in a dem mega wave year... that would be like the GOP picking up a seat in CT if the same thing happened to Leiberman or Dodd... its very unlikely
 
So what if one of the conservative Justices on the Supreme Court during the Bush years die, and are replaced with Orrin Hatch? Apparently, he had interest in serving on the Supreme Court, and was considered more than once as a possibility.

I'm assuming that he'd be much the same as the other conservative judges, so I'm more interested what happens if a conservative judge (doesn't matter who) dies right when politics in Utah are shifting a bit more liberal than usual (early 2008 perhaps).

Could a moderate or even somewhat liberal person take Hatch's place as Senator? Could even a conservative Democrat like Jim Matheson become Senator?

I know that I'm one of the few Utahn AH.com members, and so am one of the few with interest in Utah politics, but I was just curious to see if Hatch leaving Utah could be a opportunity for moderates to gain power in Utah.

Does anyone think this is plausible?

When does the vacancy occur? Remember that Democrats controlled the Senate between June 2001 and January 2003, but even then Hatch's excellent relationships with their leadership (including Ted Kennedy) ensures smooth passage. It is plausible, but only after Bush tries and fails to nominate Estrada and the other members whose passage was aided by the Gang of 14 in 2005. The last senator to be appointed to SCOTUS was Hugo Black, and judicial experience has become mandatory in the years since.
 
Its possible but unlikely. According to Wikipedia, the votes in the 2008 House races were 54% GOP to 42% Democrat. You might get someone as moderate as Hatch to replace him (in Utah terms, Hatch is a moderate Republican), but more than that is pretty wishful.

So what if one of the conservative Justices on the Supreme Court during the Bush years die, and are replaced with Orrin Hatch? Apparently, he had interest in serving on the Supreme Court, and was considered more than once as a possibility.

I'm assuming that he'd be much the same as the other conservative judges, so I'm more interested what happens if a conservative judge (doesn't matter who) dies right when politics in Utah are shifting a bit more liberal than usual (early 2008 perhaps).

Could a moderate or even somewhat liberal person take Hatch's place as Senator? Could even a conservative Democrat like Jim Matheson become Senator?

I know that I'm one of the few Utahn AH.com members, and so am one of the few with interest in Utah politics, but I was just curious to see if Hatch leaving Utah could be a opportunity for moderates to gain power in Utah.

Does anyone think this is plausible?
 

Zioneer

Banned
Its possible but unlikely. According to Wikipedia, the votes in the 2008 House races were 54% GOP to 42% Democrat. You might get someone as moderate as Hatch to replace him (in Utah terms, Hatch is a moderate Republican), but more than that is pretty wishful.

True. I suppose I'm being overly wishful and a bit bitter about Utah being consistently far-right, with center-right politicians being called RINOs (no really, the Tea Party in Utah is calling Hatch a RINO. Seriously).

So there's no possibility for moderates to gain from a Hatch appointment to the Supreme Court? And even with a judicial death, it's unlikely that Hatch could become a Supreme Court Justice anyway? Darn.
 
Reagan wanted to appoint Hatch back in 1987, when Powell retired, but an ill-timed pay raise created a constitutional bar. Then he tried to nominate Bork, which didn't go so well...
Might be interesting to have had no 'Borking' (at least for a little while, and it would go by another name), and to see how future nomination fights play out with Hatch instead of Kennedy on the Court. Not sure what the impact on Utah politics would be, though.
 
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