It is looking more and more likely that either Barack Obama or John McCain will be the next President of the United States. They will leave a lasting legacy in the form of their judicial appointments. The New York Times today posted a good analysis of how they may decide who interprets the law. Thanks to Greg Hamilton of the Northwest Religious Liberty Association for alerting us to this story. Admin.
Read the full article online at http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=169472&f=77&single=1
WASHINGTON – The presidential election, lawyers and scholars agree, will offer voters a choice between two sharply different visions for the ideological shape of the nation’s federal courts.
Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has already asserted that if elected he would reinforce the conservative judicial counterrevolution that began with President Ronald Reagan by naming candidates for the bench with a reliable conservative outlook.
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has been less explicit about how he would use the authority to nominate judicial candidates, but he would be able to – and fellow Democrats certainly expect him to – reverse or even undo the current conservative dominance of the courts.
Both have been resolute soldiers in their parties’ political wars over judicial nominations during the last several years. While Mr. McCain has supported President Bush’s judicial nominees, including John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice of the United States and Samuel A. Alito Jr. as an associate Supreme Court justice, Mr. Obama opposed those nominations and favored Democratic filibusters to block many Republican nominees deemed too conservative.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who remains in the Democratic race, has similarly opposed many of Mr. Bush’s judicial nominees and also voted against the confirmations of Judges Alito and Roberts.
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Read the full article online at http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=169472&f=77&single=1
I think it is very important that Obama appoint judges that will readily reverse the gross violations of our civil liberties that the Supreme Court has previously let slide by. Though the court cannot instigate action, any review of laws in place with proper respect to the constitution would go a long way to repairing this country.
I think it is very important that Obama appoint judges that will readily reverse the gross violations of our civil liberties that the Supreme Court has previously let slide by. Though the court cannot instigate action, any review of laws in place with proper respect to the constitution would go a long way to repairing this country.