Supreme Court's Partisan Divide Subverts Vision of the Founders
Is the era of a truly independent judiciary behind us? Blatantly political decisions such as Citizens United v. FEC (campaign finance) and Kole v. City of New London (eminent domain) would seem to indicate so. Once upon a time, justices confounded the presidents who appointed them by putting reason ahead of politics. Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens were both Nixon appointees - and among the most liberal members of the court.
In light of current political realities, the nation's founders simply didn't do enough to insulate the court from descending into a role of partisan cronyism. The very fact that justices are appointed by political figures makes them susceptible to political demands. And in the current climate of intractable absolutism, even the safeguard of a lifetime appointment is insufficient to keep the court truly independent.
Read the full story at The Provocation.
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was the Taney Court that gave us Dred Scott and, ultimately, the Civil War. 
