Supreme Court won't toss local gun-liability lawsuit

WASHINGTON — Ailing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist said today that judges must be protected from political threats, including from conservative Republicans who maintain that "judicial activists" should be impeached and removed from office.

((snip))

The public, the press and politicians are certainly free to criticize judges, Rehnquist said, but politicians cross the line when they try to punish or impeach judges for decisions they do not agree with.

I wish I could ask Rehnquist...at what point do judges cross the line...and what accountability would he, as King of America, graciously extend to the people for redress of this grievance?

"The public, the press and politicians are certainly free to criticize judges, Rehnquist said, but politicians cross the line when they try to
punish or impeach judges for decisions they do not agree with."

He's right, at least in a historical sense. Judges are appointed to life terms for the very reason that they are not subject to the blowing of political winds. Impeachment of SCOTUS justices, at least, is not something Congress takes lightly, even though they have that power.

Right now, the SCOTUS is leaning leftwards, despite some decisions that the right has applauded. Tomorrow, they may be leaning rightwards, depending on appointments made by President Bush.

And there's the problem with removing justices at will. Any Congress could impeach and remove the entire SCOTUS, if they had the guts for it. But that would remove the continuity of the court and make it a plaything for whichever party was in power. Right now, it's the Republicans. In two years, it could easily be the Democrats, depending on what happens in the country and outside of it.

I don't think we want to see a see-sawing federal judiciary. Continuity is important.

"Judges should be term limited...10 yr for the SCOTUS, 5 yr for lower courts, staggered terms.

"

An interesting idea. However, it will take a Constitutional Amendment to happen, and that's never easy to do. I doubt it would work at this time.

A thought: why did they not sue the POLICE?

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Also: If Bush gets to appoint a couple of Supremes and it comes up on appeal...WHAMMO, or so I believe.

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