2020 Presidential Poll No. 1

The valuation of Judges to be greater than the day to day operations of our executive branch is stupid.

 

So you want to enshrine bigotry, misogyny, discrimination for the next generation or so while simultaneously pissing on precedent? I sincerely hope Biden expands the court to 15 and overturns the damage these pricks are doing.

 

Agreed, but that's what it is. If you ask any high-ranking Senate Republican why they put up with Trump, the honest answer will be "judges."
Cocaine Mitch crows about the Garland deal and the 200+ federal judges they've confirmed under Trump.
Trump doesn't know jack diddly about any of them, including his two SCOTUS picks; they all come from the Federalist Society.

 

The average American is wayyyyyyyy more likely to be impacted by interactions with executive branch employees, then to have their life changed by a Supreme Court decision.


“Sure the Post Office might be mismanaged into insolvency, but at least the Supreme Court might make the abortion I was never going to have illegal!”

 

If Trump voters truly only cared about judges, they would have had no problem with VP Pence replacing Trump back in February, right?

 

Then the average American doesn't see the big picture (SHOCKER!). Executive branch decisions last a few years. SCOTUS decisions last generations at least, lifetimes in most cases.

 

So, Thomas, Kavanaugh, Alito and Gorsuch must have been washing their white robes when this photo was taken.

 

I "want" no such thing.

You asked why people vote for him. If you don't like the answer, don't ask the question.

Whether you like them or not, how many decisions would you say have been just egregiously wrong --- from a CONSTITUTIONAL standpoint?

 

The lower courts are of much greater concern than the Supreme Court. So few cases get to that level, but the judges coming in the lower courts and state courts are doing the significant damage.

 

In recent years, Citizens United (corporations are not people, and campaign contributions should not be protected free speech), Shelby County vs Holder (because it helped gut the Voting Rights Act), and any gutless punting of gerrymandering cases because people have a Constitutional right to have their votes counted (you could also add Bush vs Gore in this bit).

 

The first thing that needs to happen is a Constitutional amendment to put some sort of term limit on all federal judges.
Judge coercion was even one of Jefferson's beefs in the Declaration, and I agree judges need protections from political pressure. It just doesn't need to be for life.
Make the terms 12-15-20 years or whatever without the possibility of it being extended. Either that, or decide an appropriate retirement age. You hit it, you go home.
The judiciary needs to reflect successive generations instead of having fossils making decisions for as long as they like.
My dad is 80. Although he paid for it, I didn't let him have a real say in the new lawnmower we just bought because I'm the one who is going to be using it most, and I'll probably be using it after he is gone.

 

Sorry no, as a lawyer I’ll say that lifetime appointment is a great equalizer for getting politics OUT of the courtroom, at least to the extent possible. It’s the same as the right to a jury trial, it’s not perfect but it’s the best option available.