Lecture: Becoming a US Supreme Court Justice

Overview

• Job Attributes:
  • Power, pay, prestige, and job security.
  • Position on the highest federal court in the US.

Appointment Process

1. Nomination
   • Nominated by the President of the United States.
2. Senate Approval
   • Nomination must be approved by the Senate.
3. Formal Appointment
   • President formally appoints the nominee to the court.

Qualifications

• Constitutional Requirements:
  • No specific requirements (age, education, profession, citizenship).
• Historical Precedents:
  • 6 foreign-born justices.
  • Some without formal education or young appointees (as young as 32).

Ideological and Personal Considerations

• Presidents tend to nominate individuals sharing their ideology.
  • Liberal presidents nominate liberals, and vice versa.
• Unpredictability of appointees' decisions (e.g., Eisenhower and Warren).
• Other factors: experience, personal loyalties, ethnicity, gender.

Vetting and Senate Judiciary Process

• Thorough Vetting:
  • Includes personal background checks, tax records, etc.
• Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings:
  • Interviews and hearings about the nominee's record and stance on issues.
  • Aim to discover any past indiscretions.
• Committee Recommendation:
  • Sends nomination with positive, negative, or no recommendation.
  • Political leanings can influence the recommendation.

Senate Approval

• Most rejections occur when the Senate majority differs from the President's party.
• Approval requires a simple majority vote; ties broken by the Vice President.

Final Appointment Steps

• Oaths:
  • Constitutional and Judicial oaths to administer justice fairly and impartially.
• Lifelong Tenure:
  • Position held for life unless resigned, retired, or impeached.
  • No justice has been removed by impeachment to date.

Role and Responsibility

• Primary Role:
  • Protect fundamental rights of Americans.
• Expectations:
  • As per Irving R. Kaufman: "a paragon of virtue, an intellectual Titan, and an administrative wizard."

Legacy

• Each justice leaves behind a legacy of decisions and opinions.
• Legacy debated by time and history.