www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/12/08/GR2008120800205.html?sid=ST2008120702887&s_pos=list
There are no cameras in the Supreme Court or other Federal Courts, although movement to advance bills such as the "Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2007" has been progressing.
www.firstamend
mentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=19772But there are charts that track the decisions that our Judiciary make. Click on the picture above and you will get a great graphic from the Washington Post which shows the number of US circuit court judges appointed by Dems & Repubs as well as the # appointed by Bush. Then click here for an article that argues that Bush may not have changed the Supreme Court as much as he wanted (Justice Stevens the 87-year-old hold out) but he has had a significant impact on the circuit court level.
This article talks about how Obama may be able to create a "major shift"in the federal judiciary.
The chart at the left tracks the the SCOTUS voting record of the last session of the High Court, which had more 5-4 decisions than the Supremes have had in the past.
2 comments:
I really don't feel that it is even possible for a President to strongly influence the Judicial branch. From everything that we've learned, the Judicial branch is separate and somewhat above the politicking found in the Executive and Legislative branches. While justices without a doubt vote somewhat on policy lines (according to their ideology), it is nowhere near as common as in Congress. Plus, many justices only view their political ideology as a shadow in the background - they are much more sensitive to the logical arguments being made in front of them, and therefore judge in a way that is based on logic and fairness. Because of this, I feel that the Judicial branch is the least malleable of the three branches, and that neither Bush nor Obama will have a lengthy influence on the decisions made by the courts (including the Federal District Courts).
yeah, the decision-making process of the Supreme Court seems much less susceptible to party influence, as well as that of the President. Justices make decisions based on constitutionality, precedent and intent of the law; part of the reason that the SC is not broadcast on CSPAN like Congress is that it is not influenced by the desires of outside interests or party. The SC justices concern themselves with interpreting the law, not getting reelected, which makes it a lot harder to gain influence over their decisions.
Post a Comment