Judging Judges and the Ol' Double Standard
I could not resist posting on this recent NPR story featuring an interview with Senator Grassley of Iowa. I do not know this Senator. I am sure he is a good man, and comes from a state that has been confused with Heaven. But in this case, he had his "talking points" handed right back to him.
Grassley is concerned about Supreme Court Nominee Judge Sotomayor, and the fact that she may consider empathy, or her background, in deciding a case. Now Justice Alito said just about the same thing, but perhaps because a fellow Republican nominated Alito, there was no cause for concern.
Supreme Court nominations are no small matter, but just because a conservative President nominates a judge to the Supreme Court, there is no guarantee that the nominee will follow the President on every issue. The best example is Chief Justice Warren, an Eisenhower nominee. I am no Supreme Court scholar, but The Warren Court changed the legal landscape, and is considered one of the most liberal Supreme Courts in U.S. history.
Then there is Justice Harry Blackmun. A Nixon appointee, Blackmun did vote conservatively during his early years on the Court, but as his tenure progressed, voted more with the liberal side of the Court.
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