Unlike the loyal guy in your story, a new Supreme Court justice will not have a new boss. She won't be "working" for anyone. Who could she be loyal to except her friends, who will mostly be former Bush administration people (once the Bush term is over).
"Unlike the loyal guy in your story, a new Supreme Court justice will not have a new boss. She won't be "working" for anyone."
She will be surrounded by liberals who have far more experience and intellectual weight than she does. The DC media/party circuit culture all by itself is enough to turn some.
Don't underestimate peer pressure. SC justices aren't immune from it. Washington is a viciously liberal place, and just like any other club, she's going to be under alot of pressure to "fit in."
Thomas Becket was loyal to Henry II until he became Archbishop of Canterbury. Then he became loyal to the Church, to Henry's great woe.
What do you think they do in Conference when deciding cases? They strut their intellectual feathers trying to convince the other justices that they are wrong. The intellectually weak and overly compassionate ones (read Sandra Day O'Connor) are easily won over.
ChronicMA wrote: "Who could she be loyal to except her friends"
That's another reason why the nomination stinks. Even if she remains loyal, do we really want a Bush crony sitting on the Supreme Court? President Bush certainly hasn't done much to prove he's a strict Constitutionalist, has he?