Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Scalia Speaks...

...and complains about the increasingly contentious battles Supreme Court nominees are likely to face in the future. They will not be judged on their merits, but rather by whether they agree with those making the choice of nominee.

"It's crazy," he said. "It's like having a mini-constitutional
convention every time you pick a Supreme Court justice."
I'm no Supreme Court historian, and will defer to those who are, but my understanding is that presidents have always choosen--or tried to choose--justices who share their judicial philosophies.

And what's so wrong about having mini-constitutional conventions from time to time? The nomination process is a perfect time for citizens to revisit the Constitution and argue about what works and doesn't. It's mostly sound and fury, but it's deliberation about the proper role of government and I'm all for that.