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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS.sPubDate = "8/3/2009 5:14:43 PM GMT";
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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS.appHeader = "<div style=\"padding-left: 75px\">How justices are appointed to the nation's highest court|<br>";
POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS.appFooter = "Source: The Associated Press, Congressional Research Service";
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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS[i-1].body = "A Supreme Court justice formally notifies the president, in writing, of his or her intentions to retire from the bench. The president is then tasked with nominating a successor. Because the Constitution does not set qualifications for a justice, the president is free to nominate anyone to serve.";

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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS[i-1].body = "The Constitution requires the president to submit his nomination to the Senate for its advice and consent; the House plays no role. A thorough investigation of the nominee&#146;s background takes place before hearings begin in the Senate Judiciary Committee. These panel grillings generally commence some four to six weeks after the chamber receives the nomination.";

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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS[i-1].body = "The Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings on the nomination. The White House usually attempts to put these proceedings on a timetable, in order to get the nominee confirmed before a certain date (the start of the term in October, for instance). The hearings for Sonia Sotomayor, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito all lasted about a week.";

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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS[i-1].body = "The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a vote on the nomination. Supreme Court nominations referred to the committee have almost always been reported to the full Senate. If a majority of its members oppose confirmation, the panel technically may decide not to report a Supreme Court nomination. But this is extremely rare. The committee reports these nominations in four ways: with a favorable recommendation, without recommendation, and with an unfavorable recommendation.";

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POL_090501_Replacing_SCOTUS[i-1].body = "A majority vote is required to pass the nomination in the full Senate. It takes 60 votes to block a filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee. The Senate has only explicitly rejected 12 Supreme Court nominees. The first was John Rutledge in 1795. The last was Robert Bork in 1987.";

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