Supreme Court vacancy stirs speculation

Today's DJ offers Brown’s long delay filling a state Supreme Court vacancy stirs speculation: Legal observers are wondering about the governor’s record-setting delay in nominating a seventh state Supreme Court justice, and if it signals a controversial choice.

Does Gov. Jerry Brown’s long delay in picking a new California Supreme Court justice mean he is leaning toward a controversial choice?

But the more significant milestone comes after the fall ballot is set in mid-August. A nominee confirmed prior to that date would need to face voters in November. A nominee confirmed afterward would not be on the ballot until 2022, the date of the next scheduled gubernatorial election.The scenario holds that delaying the election test by four years would give a controversial nominee a chance to establish a track record on the court and let voters’ memories of any disputations around the appointment fade. Some have even speculated off the record that he would wait until after the November election itself, in order to avoid the pick becoming a campaign issue.
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Anne Gust Brown [a possible appointee?] is a former general counsel at Gap Inc. who, at 60, is 20 years younger than her husband. There has also been speculation that Brown would appoint himself or Josh Groban, his senior advisor on judicial appointments.

That’s a leading question among court watchers as a pair of milestones approach. On Aug. 31, it will be one year since Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar left the court, in a move she had announced nearly six months earlier.