89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U.S. Sen. Bingaman (D-NM): Elections will affect battle over Supreme Court nominee

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Last week's announcement by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens that he will retire this year gives President Obama another opportunity to select a nominee for a lifetime position on the highest U.S. court.

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman says Obama made a good choice in his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor last year, but Bingaman says, this year the situation is different.

He said,"We're getting closer and closer to an election... that may tend to give it more of a political cast than it should have or what we want."

Bingaman says he has not suggested any nominees to the President.

The liberal-conservative balance of the court is not expected to change. Obama is expected to nominate a candidate who will come down on the liberal side of decisions as Stevens did during his tenure.

Elaine Baumgartel was KUNM's News Director from 2013 to 2019. She was local Morning Edition host from 2007 through 2012 and she regularly hosted the station's live news and public affairs show for some years. Elaine originally came on board at KUNM as a volunteer and student employee in 2003.