Obama on SCOTUS pick: Won’t just have ‘ivory tower learning’

In his lengthy interview with C-SPAN Saturday morning, President Obama laid out perhaps his most extensive list of criteria in picking a replacement for Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.

Obama said it is “safe to say we’re going to have an announcement soon,” (I’m betting end of next week – Obama’s out of town early in the week) and that he wants the nominee to be confirmed in time for him or her to “wrap their mind around” the court’s upcoming casework.

Obama, as he has noted in the past, said that his nominee won’t have “just ivory tower learning” and will have real world experience.

“I want somebody who has the intellectual fire power, but also a little bit of a common touch and has a practical sense of how the world works,” the president said.

Obama summed up what he is looking for in his segment:

“…a strong intellectual grasp of the law, an appreciation for the timeless principles of the constitution, and a sense of common sense and compassion and empathy for ordinary Americans, so that everybody is heard. Those are all qualities that I think make for a great Supreme Court justice.”

After the jump, check out Obama’s full answer on his philosophy in picking a Supreme Court justice.

“Well, there are some benchmarks that you have to make sure that you hit. Obviously, you want somebody who is highly qualified, who knows the law. I want somebody who, obviously, has a clear sense of our constitution and its history and is committed to fidelity to the law. Is going to make their decisions based on the law that’s in front of them, but as I’ve said before, I think it’s also important that this is somebody who has common sense and somebody who has a sense of how American society works and how the American people live.

And you know, I said earlier, that I thought empathy wasn’t important quality and I continue to believe that. You have to have not only the intellect to be able to effectively apply the law to cases before you. But you have to be able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see through their eyes and get a sense of how the law might work or not work in practical day-to-day living

…

I want a judge not only to be applying the law in front of them, but also to understand that as a practical matter. A lot of times people have weak bargaining power.

jeremy.jacobs@digital-stage.thehill.com