Faustus said:
Old Sarge said:
You never hear about a SCOTUS or other Judge turning "conservative" once appointed. It is always the other way around. Appointed by a "conservative" but turning left upon appointment "when it counts". Roberts, case in point.
It is one of two things:
A case of a leftist at heart waiting patiently, acting conservative, to get to the highest point they can, then turn left to affect all they can. A true believer in the leftist cause that is "hide" to get as high as they can be, before legislating from the bench.
Or, a judge that has something in his life that is so devastating, it would wreck EVERYTHING in his personal life beyond repair if it got out and he would vote against his understanding of the law to preserve his life as he knew it.
Roberts is one of the two. Pick one.
Nobody turns like that otherwise.
Fun fact - Supreme Court justice has no education, age, profession, or citizenship requirement.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/faq_general.aspx
If you really want someone that there's no chance will infuriate with intellectual independence after taking the bench - stop nominating Judges.
POTUS would be a hilarious choice you know would never be on the wrong side of a decision.
I heard Robert Bork of all people once opine that he thought some political scientists (non-lawyers) would make good USSC justices when asked. I don't think so and I can't understand why Bork would say this. At the time, I hadn't attended law school and wondered. Now, I think the opinion is borderline insane for the sole reason that no non-lawyer would truly understand the concept of legal jurisprudence. They might get it after a while but the USSC is no place for on the job training.
However, with that said, one doesn't have to have been any specific kind of lawyer, judge, or whatever. Heck, I'd say they'd just need to have attended law school and be able to at least outline a legal brief for decision making purposes. The thing I'd like to see changed with respect to appointing justices, and this goes to Roberts and others in terms of changing their stripes once they get there, is to STOP appointing justices that went to Ivy League and other so-called prestigious law schools. Most of the states' flagship universities have a good law school (and I've always said law school is, in general, law school). Appoint someone who went to Alabama, OU, Utah, Iowa. Hell, Arkansas for that matter.
OK, I went too far on the last one, but you get the idea. (Don't laugh about OU; it really is a pretty decent law school. The worst thing about it is having to live in Oklahoma for 3 years).