Counsel, Judicial Confirmation Network
Counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network; former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court
PROFILE
Wendy Long
Guest
FROM Wendy Long
To the Point
The Candidates and the Supremes We hadn't heard much about the Supreme Court until this week's final debate . John McCain and Barack Obama were asked what sort of justices they would appoint, and it is clear that they differ profoundly on the subject. The current Court is four judicial conservatives – Alito, Roberts, Thomas and Scalia, four judicial liberals— 88-year old Stevens, 75-year old Ginsburg, Breyer and Souter, and one swing vote, Anthony Kennedy. The next president is likely to appoint at least one, and perhaps as many as three, new justices. Since the justices most likely to retire are on the liberal side of the Court, Obama would likely appoint justices who would maintain the status quo; McCain could create the most conservative Court since the 50's. What sort of impact will the next Court have on our lives? We look at what's at stake, from abortion to affirmative action.
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One Year Later: How Ojai Weathered the Thomas Fire Ventura County residents recall how the largest fire in state history, at the time, ignited and threatened to engulf the city of Ojai.
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A call to prepare for the next natural disaster A local environmentalist says we should spend more time and money preparing for natural disasters than responding to them. A Ventura resident who lost his home in the Thomas Fire says rebuilding is taking longer than he’d hoped. Local animal shelters are becoming critical evacuation centers. And California counties must now hold public meetings on their relationship with federal immigration agents.