After 8 years, the youngest of your highlighted Justices will be 76.  that's plenty of time to retire.

If the Dems have the chance to promote 6 of 9 justices, it could completely redefine the court.

Maybe against those odds, Thomas, Alito or even Roberts would quit the court, rather than toil away in the painful minority, much in the way that 29 Republican Congressfolk got fed up with the 110th Congress.

Clinton or Obama would appoint reasonable judges I am sure... but McCain is likely to be a puppet to the same neo-conservative interests that George W. Bush has been...  That would be a very scary court.

FDR appointed 8 during his three terms.

Nixon appointed 3.

Reagan appointed 3, 4 if you count moving Rehnquist to CJ.

It's not just the Supreme Court, mind you, but the entire judiciary. 12 years in GOP hands would be devastating.    

or redefine the manner in which we progress as a society or regress depending upon your specific reality on the issue.
One aspect I hate about this wheneever it comes up is it always plays into the hands of evangelicals. Thank god they do not seem to be really enthusiatic about McCain or there is no marriage amendement/referendum etc on the ballot to drive them in droves to the polls in the Fall.
I fear though this issue (the justices) is a kegger waiting to be ignited. I would just as soon as keep sleeping dogs lie than rattle the cages of evangelicals who would feel threatened that the precious pro-life agneda would collapse.

Just sayin' this is such a critical reason to vote for Democrats.  It really needs to be a t-shirt, bumper sticker.  Something simple that people could add as their "sig" lines.  

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV like those down there VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Yeah, and McCain loves them.  And so will his Supreme Court appointments!

Think again, bitterly angry Clinton supporters.  If you vote for McSame, you're hurting a lot more than Obama supporters' feelings.

You'll be hurting our rights--all of us.  You'll be setting corporate polluters free on a course for soured rivers and chokingly clear air.  You'll be giving the Constitution an embattled slap in the face, practically stomping civil liberties into the ground after they've already been thrown down and kicked around.

Please, for all our sakes, stop the madness and get behind the CORRECT nominee!  It ain't John McSame!

This post is not about Extreme Clinton Supporters v. Extreme Obama Supporters.

It's not my place to direct traffic at this site, but it seems to me there are plenty of other threads out there for you to express your anger at Hillary Clinton and her supporters.

Does every discussion have to devolve to this same issue?

The Supreme Court of the United States is the one presidential "issue" I feel that Obama and Clinton are in near complete agreement on.  I have nothing to back that up - but in comparison to McCain they cannot be that far apart.

This is meant to be a unifying issue, and a critical one.

Huckabee was downright scary as a candidate for this reason and the theocratic legislation that might have been passed, thank goodness that did not happen.

it is even possible that a two term president would replace all the liberals and possible Kennedy or Scalia.

At least one of the liberals is going to retire or die one way or the other though. If McCain is elected. A conservative will take the place.

Say good bye to Roe vs Wade then!

Obama will also appoint hundreds of other lower bench judges.

There is a TON at stake in the next election.

What I really hope is that Obama gets to pick 6 justices. Obama was a constitutional law professor. He knows the constitution. And how refreshing would it be to have a court that understands the constitution? Hell, we might even get the death penelty overturned.  

I think overturning the death penalty nationally might be a bit of a stretch, but more reason and understanding of the constitution would be a very welcome thing.