Justice Edith Clement?

Press conference in about 4 hours, but all indications point to Fifth Circuit Judge Edith Clement as the next Supreme Court Nominee. She looks like she has a relatively moderate voting record, especially on criminal cases. Here is her comment on Roe v. Wade from her 5th Cir. confirmation hearings:

"Do you believe the constitutional right to privacy encompasses a woman's right to have an abortion?

Answer: The Supreme Court has clearly held that the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution includes the right to have an abortion. The cases handed down by the Supreme Court on the right to abortion have reaffirmed and redefined this right, and the law is settled in that regard. If confirmed, I will faithfully apply Supreme Court precedent."

Doesn't sound like someone who has much interest in defending Roe v. Wade, but we'll see.

What do people think? What are her chances? I'm thinking her nomination will be relatively painless, unless she has skeletons. Supposedly, she has been involved in "judicial junkets," but I don't think that's going to prove to be a big deal:

"Judge Clement is one of several federal judges who has previously attended the so called "Junkets for Judges", retreats. These retreats, which were sponsored and paid for by the "free market" Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, cost as as much as $7,367 per judge, and included travel, lodging and recreation at luxury resorts, in addition to seminars conducted by pro-business organizations."

Quotes from the American Constitution Society's page.