Making the Supreme Court Nominee Their Business

"Business advocates are raising millions of dollars, plotting major lobbying campaigns, and quietly working to influence the president as he ponders a replacement for [retiring Supreme Court] Justice Sandra Day O'Connor," reports the Washington Post. Big business groups want favorable future rulings on pensions, taxation and product liability, among other issues. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been preparing for the past two-and-a-half years by giving White House staff private "in-depth analyses of decisions rendered by federal appeals court judges - the most likely pool of high court candidates." The reports run around 20 pages, for each judge. The National Association of Manufacturers will also "likely ask its lobbyists and its members back home to urge swing senators to vote for Bush's nominee." C. Boyden Gray, also of the Committee for Justice, "has become the unofficial liaison on judgeships between the White House and the corporate community."