Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Now that Justice David Souter has helped solve
the mystery of whether anyone would retire from the Supreme Court
this year, what's next? How will the executive and legislative
branches of government set about filling a vacancy on the nation's
highest court?


      - President Barack Obama will have to nominate a successor after
Souter makes his retirement announcement official. Souter is likely
to stay on the court through the end of the term in June, and maybe
longer if a replacement is not quickly confirmed. Obama will have
chosen his successor long before June - if the president hasn't
already made up his mind - but an announcement from the White House
is unlikely before the Supreme Court finishes this year's session.

      - The Constitution requires the president to submit his
nomination to the Senate for its advice and consent; the House
plays no role. The Senate's majority Democrats and minority
Republicans will investigate the nominee's background thoroughly
before hearings begin in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It
normally takes between four and six weeks to begin hearings after
the Senate receives a Supreme Court nomination.

      - The Senate will try to hold hearings and a confirmation vote
before the Supreme Court begins its new term in October.

      - Hearings will be supervised by Judiciary Committee Chairman
Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The top Republican on the committee will
likely be Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, following Pennsylvania Sen.
Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic Party earlier this
week. Senate hearings on the nominations of John Roberts as chief
justice and Samuel Alito as justice, the high court's two newest
justices, lasted about a week.

      - At the end of hearings, the committee will vote on the nominee
and send a recommendation to the full Senate. Whether the committee
decision is positive or negative, the full Senate is likely to vote
on the nomination.

      - It takes 60 votes to block a filibuster of a Supreme Court
nominee. Democrats now hold 59 votes in the Senate with Specter's
defection and two Democratic-voting independents. There is one open
seat in the Senate with Norm Coleman and Al Franken fighting in
court over the right to be the Minnesota senator.
      

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Now that Justice David Souter has helped solve
the mystery of whether anyone would retire from the Supreme Court
this year, what's next?

What's next for the Supreme Court?

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