A profile of Justice Leah Ward Sears

Read this profile by Shaila Dewan in the New York Times of Chief Justice Sears of the Georgia Supreme Court. It focuses on Justice Sears' many firsts, including being the first black cheerleader at her Savannah, Georgia high school and the first black woman chief justice on a state supreme court.

I also note with particular interest these comments, which reflect Sears' views on marriage and family:

Chief Justice Sears speaks frequently about marriage, saying that divorce and custody cases make up an increasingly large share of caseloads and that children suffer when they are raised out of wedlock.

“As a judge, I am often frustrated that I must work within a system designed only to pick up the pieces after families have already fallen apart or failed to come together,” she wrote in an opinion article in The Washington Post.

I also note recent news accounts that President Obama has interviewed Judge Diane P. Wood of the 7th Circuit, who has long been considered a strong contender for a Supreme Court seat under a Democratic administration. (This story also features a great photo of former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor next to Elena Kagan, former dean of Harvard Law, now Solicitor General of the United States, and also on the short list for the U.S. Supreme Court).