[Congressman Billybob]

Yes, she was. That's exactly my point.

John / Billybob

[puroresu]

I guess she succumbed to what's been called the "Greenhouse Effect". Linda Greenhouse is the very leftist Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times. She's quite representative of overall "mainstream" media coverage of the Supreme Court. When a constitutionalist judge abandons his (in this case, her) principles and becomes more and more of a liberal activist, Miss Greenhouse and her cronies will heap praise upon the judge. "Oh, how Justice O'Connor has grown," we'll be told. "She was so harsh and hostile to civil rights when she first was appointed, but now she's mellowed and is more humane and nuanced."

Some judges with egos love this type of media attention. Only a strong intellect such as Scalia or Thomas seems able to resist it.

[KoRn]

This is where both of you are correct and the writer is wrong. This wasn't a 'blunder' by Reagan. Early on, after she was nominated she did the right thing on Capital Punishment, among other things. Like many others, after being on the court too long, she wavered and lost the concept of what the role of the court is and became a loose cannon. There is always a risk with any judge, no matter how conservative they may be; that they will allow human nature to come in to play in their decision making over time, and take on emotionally based opinions not rooted in principle. Judges should resist this temptation to abuse their power and do what's right. The hard part is finding someone who may do this, like Rienquist and Thomas.

If you want to see a real blunder:

Click Here

Thanks 41!!