President Barack Obama had nice things to say about his new secretary of commerce, former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, at a ceremonial swearing in today.

The president noted that Locke and Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius "were actually sworn in before today, but around here, we like to make sure we get it right. I had to do it twice, and so now we make everybody do it twice."

The actual swearing in was conducted by Vice President Joe Biden, disproving rumors that he had been put in a sound-proof quarantine chamber since those I'm-not-getting-on-a-germ-packed-plane comments.

Obama's comments from the White House transcript of the event:

Now, when I chose Gary Locke for my Commerce Secretary, I mentioned his own remarkable story. More than 100 years ago, Gary’s grandfather left China on a steamship bound for America, and found work as a domestic servant in Washington State. He raised a son – Gary’s father, Jimmy -- who would go on to fight in World War II, return home and open a grocery store, and later raise a family of his own.

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A judge dealt a blow today to a local Democratic Party official’s effort to invalidate the appointment of Jan Shabro as Pierce County auditor.

But the legal battle over the auditor’s post isn’t over. Local Democratic Party Chairman Nathe Lawver may appeal the judge’s ruling. And a second lawsuit over the appointment remains active.

Lawver recently sued Pierce County over the County Council’s January appointment of Shabro to replace Auditor Pat McCarthy, who resigned to become county executive. At issue is whether the council was required to pick a new auditor from among candidates recommended by the Democratic Party.

Under the county charter, it's the council's job to fill vacant elected offices. For partisan offices it must choose from three nominees submitted by the party of the person leaving the office.

In 2007 voters approved an amendment to the county charter making the auditor’s post nonpartisan. But the charter is silent on how to fill vacancies to nonpartisan positions.

Lawver claims that because McCarthy was twice elected as a Democrat, the post remains a partisan one for the purposes of appointing her replacement. So the party submitted nominees to the council under the partisan replacement rules.

The council ignored those rules, instead adopting its own process for replacing McCarthy and ultimately choosing Shabro, a Republican, to fill the post.

In a Pierce County Superior Court hearing today, attorneys for Lawver and the county argued over when the auditor’s office became nonpartisan for the purposes of replacing McCarthy.

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In its story on the possible retirement of David Souter from the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times ventures into heavy speculation on President Obama's first appointment.

No sources are listed but the reporters suggest that since Obama once praised former California Gov. Earl Warren's service on the Supreme Court that he might be looking at a politician rather than a legal expert.

"During the campaign, Mr. Obama spoke of his admiration of former Chief Justice Earl M. Warren, citing as a special virtue his practical political experience as a former governor of California. If Mr. Obama were to look to a political figure with a strong legal background, he could turn to an old friend, Deval Patrick, now the Massachusetts governor, Christine Gregoire, governor of Washington, or Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of Michigan."

Let the speculation begin.