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.