An Opening On the Supreme Court?

It is a truth nationally acknowledged that an aging Supreme Court justice is in want of a president he can trust to choose an ideologically suitable successor. Now that President Obama has made his ideological stances clear, which justice will be the first to take advantage of the newly liberal milieu? Ruth Bader Ginsburg's pancreatic surgery awoke speculation last month, and today she fanned the flames: "Surely we will soon" see a shake up of the court, Ginsburg said during an appearance at New England Law School today. The only female Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg has now overcome two bouts with cancer—of the pancreas and the colon—but she wasn't necessarily talking about herself. David Souter, 69, has expressed a wish to retire in the past. Though Souter was appointed by George H. W. Bush, he often votes with the Court's liberal wing. Meanwhile, the consistently liberal John Paul Stevens is nearing 90. For her part, Ginsburg has said that she would like to match the staying power of Justice Louis Brandeis, who served for more than two decades. (Ginsburg was appointed in 2003.)