DRUDGE REPORT 2002®
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THURSDAY JUNE 27, 2002 11:08:25 ET XXXXX
WHITE HOUSE PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE SUPREME COURT RESIGNATION
The White House is preparing for a possible retirement by a Supreme Court judge, administration sources said on Thursday.
A retirement announcement could come from the court in the coming days as justices complete deliberations for the current term.
"It could be Rehnquist. It could be O'Connor. We could get surprised by Stevens," said a White House source. "We are ready for this."
But Bush's inner circle believes the court will likely stay intact through the mid-term elections -- unless there are over-ridding health concerns. "Florida still hangs in the air over there," said one insider.
PLAN A: ALBERTO
President Bush's White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez, 47, [pictured above] remains a frontrunner and first pick of senior Bush advisers if an opening materializes, well-placed sources claim.
Democratic operatives are believed to have a meaty "ENRON File" on Gonzalez -- a development that is causing little concern at the White House.
"So he received $7,000 in campaign contributions from ENRON back in Texas?" asks one top Bush source. "What congressman or judge hasn't? This will not disqualify or prevent the first Latino from sitting on the Supreme Court."
Developing...
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Filed By Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
http://www.drudgereportArchives.com for updates
(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2002
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