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willbeurdaddy -> RE: Supreme Court Justice Thomas Must Quit....or (7/10/2010 3:36:52 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: pahunkboy
http://www.wibw.com/nationalnews/headlines/79346147.html
of note here.
The political and financial stakes are enormous - from business groups dueling with trial lawyers over multi-billion-dollar punitive damage awards, to ideological groups sparring over abortion and gay marriage. With civil and criminal court dockets nationwide growing at a record pace, judges increasingly are taking on contentious social and business issues.
"Studies show that roughly 70 percent of the public believe judges are influenced by campaign contributions, and more than one quarter of judges agree," O'Connor told CNN. "This is alarming because the legitimacy of the judiciary rests entirely on its promise to be fair and impartial. A judge's sole constituency should be the law. If the public loses faith in that impartiality, then there is no reason to prefer the judge's interpretation of the law to the opinions of the real politicians representing the electorate."
O'Connor also noted the U.S. alone in the world elects its judges through popular elections.
Reform advocates say judicial independence only comes with public confidence in the system.
"People don't like the notion of cash in the courtroom, any whiff of any expectation that judges can be be bought is just not acceptable in our
country," said Kourlis. "People understand how important it is to have an impartial judge. From your own personal perspective/snip
whats of noe is that it has absolutely no relevance to the topic
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