Read all about it

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the high court and the key swing vote in some of the nation's highest-profile cases, announced her resignation Friday.

O'Connor, 75, was appointed by President Reagan in 1981 and is considered a moderate conservative on the high court and often cast the pivotal swing vote in important cases.

Court's balance could change
O'Connor's move could have an even greater impact. While Rehnquist falls regularly on conservative sides of issues, O'Connor has been unpredictable. If her replacement is a staunch conservative, the new justice could alter the court's ideological balance and affect decisions on the most contentious issues, including abortion.

Her stance on abortion rights has previously drawn criticism from staunchly conservative groups. She served as the swing vote in several abortion-related cases in which abortion rights were narrowly re-affirmed. O'Connor did not back down from her insistence that states place "no undue burden" on the right to an abortion.

O'Connor also has angered liberals, supporting limits on affirmative action and, in 2000, serving as the swing vote that ended vote counts in the presidential election, giving President Bush victory.

There also has been speculation about whether Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, will step down. The chief justice has thyroid cancer and uses trachea tube to help him breathe.

Sounds like the President will probably get to nominate 2 Justices, one this year & one next. So we'll get to keep our homes (conservatives voted "no" in the eminent domain case), but we'll have to post the 10 commandments over the door...

<font color=plum>LOL!!! Sounds like a win/win situation to me! :D </font>

Wow. This is big news. I'm glad she didn't wait a few years to step down. Stepping down with Bush in office is the best time to retire. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Did she provide the swing vote on the eminent domain case? If so then good damn riddence!

Perfect example of the leftwing liberal paranoia: worring about the 10 commandments being posted somewhere.
You've got one side the conservatives that stand up for what the Consitution really says. "right to be secure in their homes" and the other side the liberals that stand up for something the Constituion doesn't say "Seperation of Church and State". (less we forget abortion you ain't go'na find it in thar either.) You can't find it in the Constitution any damn where. Go ahead boys lay your money down, before you look, I'll be proud to take your cash. You'll find it says "Congress shall not establish a religion". Not even the US government can't but that CONGRESS can't! (For you legal'un out thar don't even try the if congress can't do it, they really meant the entire US government couldn't do. Because that logic is plain STUPID!!!! You'll try to say the writer of the Constitution were smart enough to out line the seperation of powers in the constitution. very clearly, yet on this one matter they got all confussed and didn't mean what they wrote?) Now a any basic history course will, inform people (willing to learn) that during the time the men that wrote the Constitution, were fully aquainted with "Offical State Religions" They had either left countries that had them (we left the England and their offical State religion when we kicked them out.)or their parents and grand parents had left countries. It is common sense to understand that is what they meant. Not that there couldn't be any mention of God. O by the way after the SCoUS passed down their great 10 commandments ruling, did they happen to stop opening their session with a PRAYER TO GOD that violates the "Seperation of Church and State" or perhaps they have taken down the 10 commandents they got posted. Somth'en tells me they didn't, but you folks can lay down some more cash, I'll be just as proud to take it.

Yet the side that stands for what is really said is, accused of being the side that is trying to push an unconstitutional agenda. Well spank my rear-end and paint it purple.