[Sandra Day] O'Connor: Attacks on judges 'appalling'

NewsOK.com ^ | Fri June 1, 2007 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Recent attacks on "activist judges" by legislative bodies could be putting the concept of an independent judiciary at risk, retired Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said Friday. "These are appalling times," O'Connor told a crowd of 700 during a moderated discussion about her career at the University of Tulsa. "There is so much rancor and dislike going on." O'Connor asked the crowd if it heard of the attacks on so-called "godless, secular humanist, activist judges," and cited cases in several states where people attempted to introduce ballot measures that would toss judges in jail for making the wrong decisions or shorten their terms on the bench... She said an independent judiciary enables judges to resolve cases fairly, "and let the chips fall where they may," even if the legislative branch isn't happy with the outcome... O'Connor also discussed her recent role as a member of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission that met to assess the current and prospective situation in Iraq and the surrounding region. The report called for a gradual troop pullout and more aggressive regional diplomacy.

[quantim]

I'd say our MI ballot #2 last year was a pretty good example of a necessary slapdown on the courts.

Citizenry won.

[Jaysun]

You only left out the AstroTurf in the back of the El Camino.

That's because mine has tile, ceramic tile, bay-bee. Have a good weekend FlyVet.

[Godwin1]

This is a woman who looks into the Constitution and finds in it the “right” to murder innocent pre-born infants by stabbing them through the head with scissors. An appalling, despicable, bloodthirsty woman who worked on an appalling,despicable, bloodthirsty and undemocratic Court. She knows full well that judges are creating law from the bench, out of thin air, contorting the Constitution beyond all recognition. She knows full well that American judges have become the faithful allies of perverts, rapists, murderers, abortionists, terrorists and pornographers. Of course decent people despise many of them. They have taken our democracy from us by removing issues from the give and take of politics and cloaking them with the mantle of the Constitution. The judiciary is highly politicized and cannot be immune from political criticism. For example, the likes of Feingold, Schumer and Feinstein have said that no believing, faithful Christian may serve on the federal bench. Ask Judge Pickering, lynched by a mob of Senate bigots because he was a believing Catholic. O’Connor has some nerve even raising this issue.

[FlyVet]

You too buddy. Cheers.

[BenLurkin]

Justice O;Conner

You brought it upon yourselves by taking too much power upon yourselves.

It is called checks and balances.

[jimfree]

Judges are independent. They are just not unfettered; they are not independent of the law and Constitution.

[Eagles6]

Asking O’connor, vernon jordan and the rest of the isg to devise war plans is like asking LT. Kurilla and the Punishers to man the cosmetic counter at macys.

[JasonC]

They are indeed appalling times. Ridiculous sophists legalize mass murder, and we are so law abiding we put up with them for 30 years, and when we so much as whisper that it might not be right, they scream in terror at our chutzpa.

Lucian could not make this stuff up...

[Hugin]

(Fred Thompson) had a warning for the federal courts, urging them to show restraint and respect the Constitution.

"If they continue to act like politicians, the American people are going to start treating them like politicians, and that's not good news for them," he said.

[haroldeveryman]

“Justice Breyer: U. S. Constitution should be subordinated to international will”

Doesn’t his job description require using the U.S. constitution as the standard by which laws are evaluated? If he advocates subordinating the US constitution to international will and conducts his job accordingly then he is admitting malfeasance and should be impeached.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Dear Sandra Day-
What was your position on Kelo vs New London?
Thought so. In that case, you might want to: STFU.
Its because of you that we don't have a constitution any more.
Many, many, many thanks;
EP

PS: That was sarcasm, if you didn't know it.

[khnyny]

Someone should tell Sandra to ditch the dramatics, words like “attacks” and “appalling” are way over the top, dishonest and manipulative. I thought judges were supposed to look at the facts and not inject their personal beliefs into things or intentionally try to muddy the discussion...

[Hugin]

Nowhere does the Constitution say anything about an “independent judiciary”. In fact it specifically gives Congress the authority to regulate it’s jurisdiction.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Someone should tell Sandra to ditch the dramatics

You might as well ask her to read the Constitution. --- not going to happen.

[rhinohunter]

Once again, a Reagan error comes back to bite us.

Not Quite...

That Reagan error has bitten us in the past...

But that Reagan error is no longer relevant and can never bite us again.

[VR-21]

"...an independent judiciary enables judges to resolve cases fairly."

I have no problem with an "independant" judiciary. It's the imperial judiciary we have now that I despise, no thanks to the likes of you Sandy baby. John Riggins was right about you.

[haroldeveryman]

“And our federal courts have been a rather good example for other nations around the world.”-Justice O’connor

It seems to me that other nations around the world have been an example to Justice O’Connor.

The only constraint that a Supreme Court judge has is the law and the US constitution. If it is acceptable for them to act outside of these constraints (i.e. legislate from the bench) then we already have a dictatorship.

[tflabo]

"There is so much rancor and dislike going on." O'Connor asked the crowd if it heard of the attacks on so-called "godless, secular humanist, activist judges," and cited cases in several states where people attempted to introduce ballot measures that would toss judges in jail for making the wrong decisions or shorten their terms on the bench...

All hail the black robed infallible tyrants on the bench! Kill the unborn, unlimited eminent domain, overthrow legislation by majority voters just to name a few good reasons to toss these louts. Thomas Jefferson was dead on correct about the courts trumping the legislative branch of govt. So glad you are gone from the SC 'Sandy baby'

[khnyny]

Oh, she’s read it, with disdain and arrogance, which she masquerades in her mind as intellectual acumen.

[Syncro]

Recent attacks on "activist judges" by legislative bodies could be putting the concept of an independent judiciary at risk...

The judiciary isn't supposed to be independent from the laws enacted by the legislature nor the principals spelled out in the Constitution.

Activist Judges is an oxymoron.