Breaking News: RKO To Be Appointed To US Supreme Court
After a whirlwind week of speculation and intrigue following the announced retirement of Justice John Paul Stephens, an Obama administration insider source has confirmed that the President will announce Russell K. Osgood '10 as his official nomination to succeed Justice Stephens on the Supreme Court during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The source, who insisted to remain anonymous, said that Osgood “was at the top of everyone's list by the end of the search.”
Little was known about Osgood prior to this rumor, and he was not a frontrunner in the eyes of many political pundits. However, the source confirmed that Osgood was in the nation's capital this past Wednesday, April 7th, less than 36 hours before Stephens' announcement. While we cannot confirm that Osgood and Obama met on that trip, it is certainly possible that Obama knew of the impending announcement and was already working on a list of candidates. From then on, Osgood's name kept coming up as a possible candidate, and now it seems he will be the nominee.
Barring unforeseen complications, Osgood now awaits an almost certain confirmation from the Senate to take Justice Stephens' place on the nation's highest court. Although hailing from a predominantly liberal-minded school, where he is the outgoing President, Osgood's legal expertise is highly regarded by all.
In a recent phone interview, Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was quoted as saying, “We do want to examine his judicial background; however, his expertise in Transnational Legal Institutions is unparalleled” Sessions added that, “The Supreme Court will directly benefit from Osgood's vivacity and love for self-gov.”
Osgood, 62, has a very small body of work that directly provides judicial opinion. His qualifications stem primarily from his work as a legal scholar, not a practicing judge. Therefore, his decisions while made as a professor at Boston University Law School, a Professor and Dean at Cornell Law School, and President of Grinnell College will all come under scrutiny in the confirmation hearings.
Cases certain to be mentioned will be the famous Smith vs. the 1979 academic honesty board of BU Law, one in which Osgood clearly demonstrates that the citation of Blackstone was incomplete but not warranting a plagiarism charge. He will certainly be questioned regarding People v. Dougharty (Sept-Dec 2009), a case that Osgood excused himself from.
Republicans may choose to mention his controversial film career. Osgood has appeared in “Star Wars Grinnell,” where he played an AT-AT walker commander, as well as “The Male Room,” where he arguably supported the patriarchy. However, he also may score points for his return of the racquetball in the 90's film Racquetball Tunak Tunak.
When asked how he felt about being appointed to the Supreme Court, the typically humble Osgood simply said, “I'm just that I found a job for next year.”
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