Bobert, I agree Bobby Kennedy Jr would make a great SCOTUS justice.   He is on of the strongest voices in support of both working people and environmental protection -- orientations that are not well represented on the Federal courts today (since Bush packed the lower-level federal courts with right wing corporatists and replaced Rehnquist and O'Connor with activist justices further to the right).

However " And he is a lawyer and worked as a prosecutor so that oughtta make the Repubs happy... Well, not really 'cause you can't make the Repubs happy." Exactly!

That's why Obama should really not even TRY to appease the Republicans, much less the ones on the far right.    A party that routinely casts Obama -- and Stevens -- as "left wing," "socialist," "ultra-liberal," etc., is way out of touch with the reality of the true political spectrum.

Kennedy's problem, though, is that he would be yet another white male Roman Catholic. And a wealthy one too.
In Kennedy's case, I'd make an exception, because I don't think he'd let his wealth or his church dictate his positions any more than his dad and uncles did, but in general I think it's unwise to have too much homogeneity on the highest court(s) in terms of demographics.   Other things being roughly equal, I think striving for more diversity -- in viewpoint as well as demographics -- is highly desirable.