President Bush nominated federal appeals judge John Roberts July 20 to replace the retired Sandra Day O’Connor.

Although Washington, D.C. is more than 700 miles from DeKalb, College of Law Dean LeRoy Pernell says O’Connor’s departure could be felt by college students.

“O’Connor has become the pivotal vote in the last 10 years,” Pernell said. “She has taken a strong position on diversity. Without her presence I think that college students will want to pay attention to what happens in those areas. That type of leadership is hard to replace.”

If Roberts is approved by the Senate, the Supreme Court will have only one women, Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

“I think it would have been nice if Bush had nominated a woman because there are a lot of qualified women, but it’s more important that a good judge replace O’Connor, whether they’re male or female,” said Lise Schlosser, secretary for NIU’s Women’s Studies Program and a graduate student in English.

O’Connor served as the swing vote on the rulings of many social issues, including abortion, sex discrimination, affirmative action, civil rights, property rights, and the death penalty.

Through his rulings Roberts has proved to be a more conservative Republican than O’Connor.

“I would have preferred a different voice, but the president has the right to choose any qualified candidate,” law professor Lorraine Schmall said. “Our collective views may clash more dramatically with those espoused by Judge Roberts, but it is wise to remain optimistic.”

The first female member of the Supreme Court, O’Connor demonstrated to the women of the United States that being a successful judge was possible.

Now, more than half of all students entering law school are women, according to assistant professor of political science Artemus Ward.

O’Connor’s retirement has led to speculation of the retirement system of the Supreme Court being reexamined. Justices serve either until they die or retire. They cannot be fired or forced to retire.

“The system has two problems,” Ward said. “First, it allows justices to play politics with their retirement decisions. They can time their departures to coincide with a favorable president and Senate. Second, there is a very real danger that they will stay on the court past their usefulness.”