A lot of 5-4; 6-3 rulings from SCOTUS; reminds us how important 2016 is.

[candycorn]

Scalia is 79
Kennedy is 78
Ginsberg is 82
Breyer is 76



Its not impossible to think that the next President could appoint three justices (I personally think that there may be some retirements now that the term is over). One or two justices could swing these decisions if they were to be re-considered in the future.

Those on the fence about voting for Bush and Hillary if they are their party's nominees should re-consider that position anyway since you'll never get your ideal candidate.But moreover the stakes are pretty high where the High Court is concerned and the lifetime appointments are available.

 

[Harry Dresden]

it should only be a certain time limit appointment like say 10 years.....and then your gone....

 

[Auld Phart]

Indeed.

We need Justices DECIDING law, not MAKING it.

 

[SwimExpert]

Scalia is 79
Kennedy is 78
Ginsberg is 82
Breyer is 76



Its not impossible to think that the next President could appoint three justices (I personally think that there may be some retirements now that the term is over). One or two justices could swing these decisions if they were to be re-considered in the future.

Those on the fence about voting for Bush and Hillary if they are their party's nominees should re-consider that position anyway since you'll never get your ideal candidate.But moreover the stakes are pretty high where the High Court is concerned and the lifetime appointments are available.

The fact that such a thing is even said actually demonstrates a much deeper, more important issue. Decades ago, justices were selected by Presidents, and Presidents selected well qualified justices that leaned one way or the other. It's wasn't a perfect system, but having a multi-person panel, with Executive and Legislative input required to finalize the selection, serving life tenures in a multiple tiered system affording multiple appellate opportunities had been a pretty damn good system. What we have now is a world where leaning has been largely replaced by unbridled activism at every possible turn, and where well qualified has been replaced with a willingness to capsize the boat in order to swing the very diminishing sliver of "swing vote" left.

The courts are not supposed to be political theaters. And we sign our own death warrants whenever we hope for them to so be.