No (Out) Lesbians On Obama's New SCOTUS List

The names of the six people on Barack Obama's short list of potential nominees to the United States Supreme Court have been leaked and the list apparently no longer contains any known lesbians.

They are:

Diane Wood of the 7th Circuit
Solicitor General Elena Kagan
Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Merrick Garland of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals

This list is very different from previous lists. The only male on the list is Garland, who is a 56-year-old white male. Change we can believe in? Hell no! Any of the others are acceptable.

However, many others will be upset that out lesbians Kathleen Sullivan and Pamela Karlan (both former Deans of Stanford Law School) are no longer on the list. However, Janet"Quacks Like A Duck" Napolitano is aparently still on the short list of 6 people who are being vetted by the White House and filling out extensive surveys.

Latina (9th Circuit Appellate Judge) Kim Wardlaw or African American (and Rod 2.0 favorite) Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears have also seemed to have dropped off.

I still have my money on Sonia Sotomayor. I think another woman on the court is essential, and having a Black man nominate a Latino person would be a great historic first.

Obama Appoints Highest Ranking Gay Person Ever

Barack Obama has apparently decided on John Berry currently director of the National Zoo to become the head of the Office of Personnel Management, the highest ranking appointment of an openly gay person ever.

Many LGBT activists are still annoyed that Obama has not appointed an openly LGBT person to his Cabinet, although as one activist mentioned, it is very possible that Obama thinks that he has already done so, since it is very possible he has more information about his sexually ambiguous Homeland Security Secretary designate Janet Napolitano than the rest of us have!

Joe Solmonese, head of the Human Rights Campaign has issued the following statement, applauding the appointment:

The selection of John Berry to head the Office of Personnel Management, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official ever, is a meaningful step forward for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In his new role, John will make critical decisions regarding the implementation of fair workplace policies for millions of federal workers. We congratulate him on his remarkable achievements and look forward to his continued leadership for the LGBT community and the nation as a whole.