Obviously they were selected because their ideology was consistent with that of Obama and because they would be extremely unlikely to support decisions inconsistent with Obama's legislative agenda. Virtually every president nominates candidates for Supreme Court openings who are ideologically compatible with the president. That's not what I meant with Kavanaugh. Trump's presidency could be in jeopardy as the result of the current special counsel investigation and possibly as the result of a congressional investigation. Philosophically Brett Kavanaugh believes that investigations of the president should be limited. Trump's decision to nominate Brett Kavanaugh goes way beyond ideological compatibility. It's much more personal.
Fair enough. I believe Kavanaugh is more than qualified to be on the SCOTUS. More so than Kagan and Sotomayor. However I also believe that Trump selected him due to his beliefs that you outlined. Those beliefs do not... in my opinion disqualify Kavanaugh at all.
Stevens was appointed by a “liberal.” He came to the court with Warren Burger. Together, they were nicknamed the “Minnesota Twins.”
If Kavanaugh voted as the law review article suggests he believes, the vote would likely make any vote limiting Nixon 8-1. John Roberts is very concerned about the place and institution of the court. Bear in mind that the premise of the law review article is that Congress should impose limits, which implies that the constitution does not
It was hard not to see the political apparatchik he *used to be* on display in his ranting. And his attempt to save face in the WSJ piece amounted to restating his personal narrative and resume, which isn't something that builds confidence or trust in that person. Whatever the case, he's on. Done deal. Maybe he'll turn out to be a decent justice with thoughtful, considered positions, but it's not a good start for him professionally.
I know that Stevens was a liberal justice, but he was appointed to the federal courts by Nixon (COA) and Ford (SCOTUS). He's a lifelong registered Republican who initially supported Kavanaugh.
I was joking when I said that Stevens was appointed by a liberal. I know he was appointed by Nixon. I was also wrong about the Minnesota Twins. That was Harry Blackmun now that I think about it. Bad to make an historical error when I brought up Abe Fortas. Sigh.
Gotcha. That went over my head. I momentarily confused Earl Warren and Warren Burger while reading it. What was funny to me is that Burger got so mad when Blackmun started moving left that they apparently stopped speaking. IIRC, Burger was Blackmun's best man at his wedding prior to all of that. Personally, I am a huge fan of the justices who broke with the President who appointed them.
I'm not sure if this has been posted before but I thought it was interesting. She was very pretty as a young woman.
The past three weeks have been some of the worst many of us have seen in our lifetimes. Hate and vitriol have inundated our social media feeds and invaded our workplaces, churches, homes and even our most intimate relationships. At some point, we lost sight of how to engage with each other in a sincere pursuit of truth. We worked feverishly to prove ourselves right, but we didn't make an effort to understand each other. Whatever your inclination on the whole issue—whether Judge Kavanaugh should or should not have been confirmed to the Supreme Court—our infighting has left America worse off than it was before. Once again, we are more divided, more hurt, more tribalized and more cynical. When our opinions become more important than people, we all lose. There's now one—and only one—way forward for America: we must pray earnestly for unity and work intentionally toward reconciliation. It's incumbent upon the church of Jesus Christ to be a force of unity, love and civility both within and without. In fact, Scripture teaches us that we ought to love and pray for not only those who agree with us but also those who oppose us. Jesus puts it this way: 'If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?', and 'If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?' (Matt. 5:46-47). In the following days and weeks tensions will continue to flare up across America. It's a crucial time in our nation's history, and every vote we cast and every decision our leaders make will have repercussions for years to come. Yet regardless of what happens, it's up to us to determine what country we want for ourselves and our children. These are the thoughts of Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church and president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. I feel exactly the same way.