Campaign News

Toobin speaks to more than 400 alumni and friends

June 06, 2008

The Supreme Court is at a turning point, and its direction will be determined by the outcome of this year's presidential election, Emmy-winning journalist Jeffrey Toobin told a standing-room-only crowd during Reunion weekend.

Toobin, speaking to nearly 400 people in John C. Evans Hall, said the next president will probably have an opportunity to name three justices -- justices whose thought will swing the court's balance.

Republican John McCain is likely to appoint sitting judges who are social conservatives, Toobin said, while Democrat Barack Obama would probably appoint people with varied backgrounds -- perhaps a state governor or a U.S. senator -- who are more moderate and bring new perspectives to the court.

Toobin, a writer for The New Yorker and a legal analyst with CNN, said the four justices appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon in the late 1960s proved to be moderate. But the evolution of the court and American politics has created a conservative social agenda that McCain respects, Toobin said. If McCain appoints like-minded justices, they will influence court decisions on executions, abortions and the role of religion in American society.

"Who wins the next election? That's the whole ballgame," Toobin said. He said surveys show that most American's don't agree with positions McCain supports on such social issues. Toobin also favors bringing non-justices onto the court, saying they provide invaluable perspectives in deliberations on key cases.

Toobin said Obama emerged as the frontrunner in the primaries because opponent Hillary Clinton ran as the "candidate of experience" at a time when people want change. He added that Obama has touched a nerve -- and motivated people who otherwise would not be involved in politics.

When asked his prediction for November, Toobin replied, "I think Obama's going to win in a landslide."

For media inquiries contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu