As Barack Obama’s second term as President of the United States comes to a close, some people are wondering: what’s next? Knowing Obama, it doesn’t seem likely that he will shrink into the background. And now some liberals are calling for him to be appointed to the Supreme Court. Media outlets like the Boston Globe are already speculating that if (or according to some polls, when) Hillary Clinton is elected President that the obvious choice for the vacant seat should be Obama.
Hillary, for her part, thinks that might be a possibility:
“That’s a great idea… I would certainly take that under advisement. I mean, he is brilliant and he can set forth an argument.”
Unfortunately, one of Obama’s closest confidants is already saying that’s not likely to happen.
David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist for 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns ruled out a judicial appointment for the soon-to-be former President.
Not that Obama isn’t qualified for the Supreme Court. After all, he did go to Harvard Law School and taught Constitutional law there. Also, there are no official age or career requirements stated in the Constitution, including holding an active law license or prior experience as a judge, although most modern appointees fill both of these requirements. And there is a precedent for it. William Howard Taft served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after one term in the White House.
But even though there’s nothing stopping a Barack Obama Supreme Court appointment, Axelrod still says it’s not likely to happen. And 2014 Obama himself said:
“I think being a Justice is a little bit too monastic for me. Particularly after having spent six years and what will be eight years in this bubble, I think I need to get outside a little bit more.”
So there you go. While it’s highly unlikely that Obama will disappear completely from public life, don’t hold your breath for a Supreme Court appointment.
Watch a video speculating about Obama’s judicial future here:
Featured image via Youtube screengrab.
