I was thinking, too, that Bricker might’ve been an excellent choice for Chief Justice at the start of Ike’s term. He was one of only a handful of Republican Attorneys General during the 1933-37 period, followed by 6 years as Governor (1939-45). Had he not stepped down as Governor to run as Dewey’s VP in 1944, he would’ve likely won a 4th 2-year term as Governor (instead, they narrowly elected Conservative Democrat Frank Lausche).
He won the open Senate seat of Harold Burton (a Republican appointed to the Supreme Court by Truman) in 1946 and was reelected in 1952. Unfortunately, because Lausche was Governor and that one seat was the difference between a GOP or Dem majority for the 1953-54 Senate, Lausche would’ve appointed a Dem (as he got to the Summer of ‘53 when Taft died, though we got the seat back in ‘54).
Bricker could’ve conceivably served on the court until his death... in 1986 ! Just in time for Rehnquist to succeed him as he did Warren Burger. Instead, alas, Bricker was one of the class of enormous casualties of 1958 against the execrable leftist Democrat Stephen Young (the mentor of Howard Metzenbaum, who was his campaign manager).
Who knows what either a President or Chief Justice Bricker would’ve done to reign in the government and/or SCOTUS ? He was a big believer in local government and right-to-work. Right-to-work ought to be a Constitutional Amendment.
Looking at the court we have now, I'm glad I suggested a totally different direction than what Bush did in 2005-2006 with the Roberts/Miers/Alito nominations. Had I been in Bush's shoes, I would have elevated Clarence Thomas from associate justice to CJ to replace Rehnquist, and probably put justice Raoul G. Cantero of the Florida Supreme Court in Thomas' spot. (though I imagine GWB didn't do this because the RATs would have declared war on any Jeb Bush appointed judge). And I would have likely replaced Sandra Day O'Connor with Priscilla Owen or Paul Clement.