Obama pick for Justice post withdraws  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has withdrawn her bid for confirmation, after several Republicans objected to her criticism of the Bush administration's terrorist interrogation policies.

Justice Stevens' retirement and Elena Kagan  —  Justice John Paul Stevens, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gerald Ford in 1975 and then became the leader of its “liberal” wing, told the White House today that he was retiring in the Summer.  I had been planning to write …

Justice Stevens to Retire After 34 Years  —  WASHINGTON — Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, the leader of the liberals on the Supreme Court, announced on Friday that he will retire at the end of this term, setting up a confirmation battle over his replacement that could dominate the political scene this summer.

Outside the Box SCOTUS Idea  —  As a connoisseur of American conservatism's problematic relationship with race, I had a lot of fun during the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation fight.  Thus in that sense, I'm a bit saddened that the leading names being bandied about to fill the vacancy left by John Paul Stevens are all white people.

Stupak won't seek reelection  —  Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who played a central role in the health reform fight as the leader of anti-abortion Democrats, announced that he will not run for reelection Friday afternoon, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Where's the Left's Sarah Palin?  —  While Democrats and the Obama White House continue to take jabs at Sarah Palin, the fact remains they can't resist rising to her bait, with the media loving to pit Palin against Obama whenever the chance arises.  Even when Pres. Obama says he's not going to respond …

Jindal: ‘It Hurts Our Feelings’ To Be Called The ‘Party of No’  —  Today in his speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) complained that characterizations of the GOP as the “Party of No” are hurtful: … Yet in the very next breath …