Comments on: Fillibustering Bill Pryor

By: Karl Maher

Karl Maher — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 23:08:47 +0000

Obviously, we'd like to have more judges like Bill Pryor with lifetime tenure. But judges have been a big part of the metasticizing federal government. That's why an elective solution -- subjecting federal judges to retention referenda -- is superior to fixed or lifetime terms. The elections themselves would lead to more sober judging; judges like Bill Pryor would be easily re-elected; and even if they won, judges like Anthony Kennedy might learn something. Term-limited judges, on the other hand, will know when the end is near and might want to go out in a blaze of egalitarian glory. History is littered with Republican-appointed judges who turned out to be activists: Brennan (Eisenhower); Harry Blackmun (Nixon); John Paul Stevens (Ford); Anthony Kennedy (Reagan); David Souter (Bush I). I'll bet you that of the seven apppointees the Democrats are filibustering, at least three would turn out to be liberal on the court. We need an emergency escape clause to remedy that situation. Visit Vote for Judges for further argument.

By: Feddie

Feddie — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:04:48 +0000

And don't forget that y'all can get daily updates on the Pryor renomination over at my blog, Southern Appeal.

(slinks back over to corner in shame after giving shameless plug) :)

By: Dodd

Dodd — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 19:30:34 +0000

The answer to your question about my post is easy, James: More judges like Bill Pryor - with lifetime tenure. :-)

By: Ipse Dixit

Ipse Dixit — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 16:34:23 +0000

Putting A Band-Aid On A Sucking Chest Wound
Doug Bandow of the CATO Institute wants to totally rework how judicial appointments work, in part to cure the perceived...

By: PoliBlog: Politics is the Master Science

PoliBlog: Politics is the Master Science — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 15:04:26 +0000

More on Judicial Nominations
Along the same topical lines as the post below, James Joyner notes an editorial concerning the nomination of Bill Pryor and also a proposal to limit the tenure of federal judges.

All of it is worth reading.

James notes, correctly, I would argue, ...