Michelle Obama on Judges

First lady Michelle Obama and CFJ’s Curt Levey agree about one thing: “the Court's direction will be at stake in the 2012 election.” So said Ms. Obama at a fundraiser in Rhode Island a few days ago. That echoes Levey’s forecast in an op-ed in The Hill:

“The electoral focus on judges in 2012 will not be misplaced. The ages of several Supreme Court Justices and the closely divided makeup of the Court means that its ideological balance – and with it, the fate of gay marriage, abortion, illegal immigration and the like – could swing wildly in either direction after 2012.”

David Ingram of the Legal Times characterizes Ms. Obama’s comments as

“a rare example, so far, of President Barack Obama’s reelection effort trying to build support by highlighting his judicial appointments.”