Supreme Court appointees used to be less partisan, and most were confirmed unanimously or very close to it. And the kind of corruption we are now witnessing was unheard of.
While running for reelection in 1956, Republican Eisenhower nominated “moderate” Democrat William Brennan to the Supreme Court to demonstrate magnanimous bipartisanship en route to a landslide electoral win. Brennan, of course, turned out to be one the most liberal justices in Court history and the mastermind of liberal strategy in cobbling together majorities. Famous quote: “You have to be able to count to five.”
Richard Nixon appointed reliable conservative Warren Burger as Chief Justice, and then sought his advice on who to nominate for an open spot as an associate justice. Burger recommended his friend and fellow Minnesotan Harry Blackmun, and Nixon made the appointment. Blackmun, of course, would succeed Brennan as leader of the most liberal bloc and was the one who wrote the majority opinion in Roe v Wade.
By the early 1980’s, early in the Reagan era, conservative masterminds and strategists were frustrated by seeing liberal justices appointed by Republicans, and organized a systematic and coordinated effort to ensure that it would stop. In 1982, they founded the Federalist Society, an organization of conservative legal scholars funded by wealthy conservative donors that would study the writings and judicial history of potential judicial appointees for federal trial courts, appellate courts and, especially, the Supreme Court, and make recommendations and vet potential nominees.
Notwithstanding, George HW Bush did not want to be told what to do, made his own appointments, and nominated David Souter, who joined the liberal bloc, but he would be the last liberal to be appointed by a Republican.
Supreme Court appointees used to be less partisan, and most were confirmed unanimously or very close to it. And the kind of corruption we are now witnessing was unheard of.
While running for reelection in 1956, Republican Eisenhower nominated “moderate” Democrat William Brennan to the Supreme Court to demonstrate magnanimous bipartisanship en route to a landslide electoral win. Brennan, of course, turned out to be one the most liberal justices in Court history and the mastermind of liberal strategy in cobbling together majorities. Famous quote: “You have to be able to count to five.”
Richard Nixon appointed reliable conservative Warren Burger as Chief Justice, and then sought his advice on who to nominate for an open spot as an associate justice. Burger recommended his friend and fellow Minnesotan Harry Blackmun, and Nixon made the appointment. Blackmun, of course, would succeed Brennan as leader of the most liberal bloc and was the one who wrote the majority opinion in Roe v Wade.
By the early 1980’s, early in the Reagan era, conservative masterminds and strategists were frustrated by seeing liberal justices appointed by Republicans, and organized a systematic and coordinated effort to ensure that it would stop. In 1982, they founded the Federalist Society, an organization of conservative legal scholars funded by wealthy conservative donors that would study the writings and judicial history of potential judicial appointees for federal trial courts, appellate courts and, especially, the Supreme Court, and make recommendations and vet potential nominees.
Notwithstanding, George HW Bush did not want to be told what to do, made his own appointments, and nominated David Souter, who joined the liberal bloc, but he would be the last liberal to be appointed by a Republican.
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