Few political battles energize movement conservatives quite like a Supreme Court nomination fight. And word that Justice David H. Souter plans to retire at the end of this session sent a jolt through the right-wing fundraising circuit late Thursday night.

“This is a nuclear weapon for the conservatives out there,” said Dan Morgan, a veteran conservative fundraiser who founded Morgan, Meredith and Associates. “When you do fundraising, there’s an emotional component in this and boy the emotion is there magnified times 100.”

Abortion, gay marriage, gun rights, school prayer and property rights all converge at the justices’ white marble den across from the U.S. Capitol. That should all add up to a lot of money for conservatives who fear that “activist” jurists will liberalize America’s laws — even if the liberal-conservative balance on the court isn’t likely to shift — according to fundraising experts.

“Although Souter may be a more difficult case to make as his voting record is center-left, it does open the door for discussion of who, and how left a replacement, President Obama may choose,” said Linus Catignani, a partner at LCM Strategies who raised money for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. “It also gives clarity to the power of the presidency and generates lots of chatter regarding the fact that Obama may make up to four replacements in short order. That obviously paints a very scary picture for many conservatives.”

The roles have reversed since Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito were confirmed in 2005 — with Democrats now called on to support a Supreme Court nominee and Republicans in opposition — but the dynamics of money are the same.

“During the 2006 [election] cycle, the appointments of Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts were strong and key references in Republican fundraising,” Catignani said.

That’s not to say that Democrats and interest groups that share their philosophy won’t be able to use the moment to revitalize a fundraising base that is depleted after the 2008 election and the economic downturn.

“There was still, I think, a sense of exhaustion, a need to recharge batteries, and the impending resignation of Souter and a choice by the president of a replacement is going to give a number of those organizations and institutions a specific cause, a specific vehicle by which to galvanize their fundraising base,” said former Democratic National Committee Chairman Steve Grossman. “This can be a catalyst properly handled that can get people back into a sense of stakeholdership.”

But Grossman and other veteran Democratic fundraisers say Republican-minded donors are more likely to give to stop a nominee than Democrats are to support one.

“I think it’s going to be a more intense rallying call for the Republicans than for the Democrats,” said Jeremy Tunis, a former Democratic fundraiser.

That could change if Republicans find a way to stand in the path of Obama’s nominee, according to a Democratic source who asked to remain anonymous while discussing party fundraising strategy.

“If Republicans are seen as trying to obstruct the president’s choice for ideological or political purposes, the floodgates from contributors would likely open to mount whatever campaign is necessary to get the president’s pick through,” the other Democratic source said.

Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the conservative Traditional Values Coalition, said that “at a minimum” Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination will provide a “very good teachable moment” for voters about their new president.