A preview of the SCOTUS fight

The NY Times today previews the conservative case against ten of Obama’s potential SCOTUS nominees, using memos obtained from conservative activists groups to predict each nominee’s weak spot.

Diane Wood will be portrayed as too liberal on abortion, for example. Sonia Sotomayor is too eager to expand rights, and Kathleen Sullivan favors gay marriage.

Just as interesting as the cases against the potential nominees is the short list conservatives are apparently using. Some of the names are familiar–Wood, Sotomayor, Sullivan, and Elena Kagan, for example. But others seem to have flown below the radar until now, including federal appellate judges Johnnie Rawlinson, Kim Wardlaw and Ann Williams, federal district judge Martha Vasquez, and former assistant solicitor general Beth Brinkmann.

The whole piece is worth a read, including this passage on the implications of the potential battle for the conservative movement:

While conservatives say they know they have little chance of defeating Mr. Obama’s choice because Democrats control the Senate, they say they hope to mount a fight that could help refill depleted coffers and galvanize a movement demoralized by Republican electoral defeats.

“It’s an immense opportunity to build the conservative movement and identify the troops out there,” said Richard A. Viguerie, a conservative fund-raiser. “It’s a massive teaching moment for America. We’ve got the packages written. We’re waiting right now to put a name in.”

Gary Marx, executive director of the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network, said donors, whom he declined to identify, had committed to contributing millions of dollars for television, radio and Internet advertisements that might reunite conservatives in a confirmation battle.