Free Republic

Despite politicians' complaints about judges having too much power, two-thirds of Americans do not believe elected officials should have more control over federal judges, according to a new CNN poll released Saturday. Sixty-seven percent of 1,013 people surveyed by Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of CNN said federal judges -- and the decisions they make -- should not be subject to more control. Only 30 percent said they should. (See the poll results) Both a current and former Supreme Court justice told CNN they are not unaware of the criticism aimed at them, but they said such criticism is an...

There is no vacancy on the Supreme Court, but the battle over the next nominee has already begun. Hollywood's favorite group, People for the American Way, is bragging about its new war room, equipped with dozens of computers and scores of staffers to conduct opposition research on President Bush's presumed nominees and network with grassroots organizations. Other liberal groups are conducting polling and raising funds for paid television advertising. Conservatives must prepare for this fight, but in a way that is smarter and different from the past. The Left's approach will be to smear the candidate, whomever he or she...

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday used his appointment of Raoul Cantero III to the Florida Supreme Court to lash out at judges who stretch their legal boundaries. "Increasingly," said Bush, posed strategically with the Supreme Court's white columns as a backdrop, "courts have seized control over policy decisions that are not theirs to make." The courts, he said, "are not mini-legislatures or governors." Bush's comments reflect the tension that has existed among the Supreme Court, the Republican governor and the Legislature during the past four years. Bush and lawmakers have seen the courts strike down priority efforts such...