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Poll
Question: Which US Supreme Court jutice has the best legal mind?
Scalia   -24 (29.6%)
Ginsburg   -26 (32.1%)
Kagan   -3 (3.7%)
Roberts   -9 (11.1%)
Thomas   -6 (7.4%)
Sotomayor   -4 (4.9%)
Kennedy   -3 (3.7%)
Breyer   -3 (3.7%)
Alito   -3 (3.7%)
Show Pie Chart
Total Voters: 81

Author Topic: Best Supreme Court justice  (Read 3837 times)
politicus
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« on: March 20, 2012, 01:07:21 pm »
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Which US Supreme Court justice has the best legal mind? Discuss.

(sorry for spelling error in the question)
« Last Edit: March 20, 2012, 01:10:22 pm by politicus »Logged
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wormyguy
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« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2012, 01:12:05 pm »
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Objectively speaking, Scalia is by far the most intelligent and has the best grasp of law and precedent.  That isn't my own opinion (Thomas is probably the "best" politically), but rather that of my parents' neighbor, a very liberal lawyer who formerly clerked for Justice Blackmun (of Roe v. Wade fame).
« Last Edit: March 20, 2012, 01:13:53 pm by I cannot imagine power as a thing negative and not positive. »Logged


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Nathan
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« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2012, 03:15:56 pm »
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Quote from: I cannot imagine power as a thing negative and not positive. on March 20, 2012, 01:12:05 pm
Objectively speaking, Scalia is by far the most intelligent and has the best grasp of law and precedent.  That isn't my own opinion (Thomas is probably the "best" politically), but rather that of my parents' neighbor, a very liberal lawyer who formerly clerked for Justice Blackmun (of Roe v. Wade fame).

Replace Thomas in this post with...well, pretty much anybody else (probably Ginsburg, perhaps Sotomayor) and this is about how I see it too.
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Quote from: Averroës Nix on October 18, 2012, 07:59:32 pm
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« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2012, 04:10:46 pm »
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Thomas is by far the finest jurist on the Court for decades.

Unlike other jurists on the Court he doesn't engage in bluster during oral argumentation.
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« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2012, 04:14:42 pm »
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By which you mean he hasn't said anything for seven years.

That's not 'not engaging in bluster'. That's dereliction of duty.
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Quote from: Averroës Nix on October 18, 2012, 07:59:32 pm
Professor Nathan: A shameless agrarian collectivist with no respect for private property or individual rights. Can you really trust him?

Quote from: Joe Republic on April 25, 2013, 03:29:18 pm
It's like one minute you're preaching from the pulpit at some exceedingly dull church; the next you're a giving a Womens' Studies lecture at Berkeley.
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« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2012, 09:18:20 pm »
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Scalia is the most enjoyable, while Ginsburg gets the best results.  Voted for Scalia.
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« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2012, 07:57:00 am »
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Quote from: Nathan on March 20, 2012, 04:14:42 pm
By which you mean he hasn't said anything for seven years.

That's not 'not engaging in bluster'. That's dereliction of duty.

be silent and affirm power: perfect
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« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2012, 09:58:00 pm »
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Definately between Ginsburg and Scalia. Scalia is extremely witty, has a firm grasp of the law and writes the most entertaining opinions (even if I disagree with him I still firmly respect the guy). Ginsburg meanwhile seems to be a quiet leader on the bench, extremely thoughtful and never too quick to jump to a conclusion. I voted Ginsburg simply because I feel like she is under-appreciated, but really both are great.

By the way why do people like Thomas? He doesn't contribute anything to the court and its pretty easy to guess how he'll decide in basically any case.

Most mediocre: Roberts, he's just blah.
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« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2012, 01:32:13 am »
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I don't think Sotomayor and Kagan have been on the bench long enough for us to have a good grasp of their impact.  In light of that, I had to vote for Ginsburg for now.
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« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2012, 12:30:44 pm »
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Scalia
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« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2012, 03:36:30 pm »
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I voted for Ginsburg. Yet I also like Breyer and I do respect Scalia in an intellectual sense. I don't know how exactly I feel about Sotomayor and Kagan, its too early to form an opinion. The rest are blah or awful.   
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« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2012, 09:29:39 pm »
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Scalia.
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« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2012, 09:56:34 am »
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Roberts

I agree with him politically and he seems the most pragmatic and willing to honestly assess the cases more than some of the other conservatives. He also is supposedly the most influential over Kennedy.
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« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2012, 10:27:59 pm »
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I really want to say someone like Kennedy, but no...Its Scalia...flaws and all.
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« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2012, 10:33:13 pm »
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Of this court, Scalia by far.
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Bacon King
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« Reply #15 on: April 05, 2012, 09:04:27 am »
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1. Scalia
2. Ginsburg
3. Breyer
4. Roberts
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« Reply #16 on: April 24, 2012, 01:17:41 pm »
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Scalia
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« Reply #17 on: April 24, 2012, 05:56:05 pm »
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Ginnsberg reminds me of my favorite SCrt jurist O Douglas.
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« Reply #18 on: April 27, 2012, 10:44:30 pm »
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Scalia is a wiz for sure.

Sotomayor is promising. I feel like she's more open minded than some of the others, and asks good questions without having an obvious agenda. 
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« Reply #19 on: May 03, 2012, 08:16:09 pm »
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Ginsberg, because she wears that bib thing.

If I could, I would vote for both Scalia and Ginsberg. They're both entertaining and Scalia's by far the most knowledgable.
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« Reply #20 on: May 15, 2012, 05:06:15 pm »
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Scalia.

Quote from: shua, gm on April 27, 2012, 10:44:30 pm
Scalia is a wiz for sure.

Sotomayor is promising. I feel like she's more open minded than some of the others, and asks good questions without having an obvious agenda. 
Sotomayor and Kagan are both likeable people, which is rare for the SCOTUS.
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« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2012, 12:02:26 am »
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I've heard Scalia's much less abrasive in his personal life than he is in his opinions. Maybe not Harry Blackmun likable, but likable.
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Quote from: Averroës Nix on October 18, 2012, 07:59:32 pm
Professor Nathan: A shameless agrarian collectivist with no respect for private property or individual rights. Can you really trust him?

Quote from: Joe Republic on April 25, 2013, 03:29:18 pm
It's like one minute you're preaching from the pulpit at some exceedingly dull church; the next you're a giving a Womens' Studies lecture at Berkeley.
shua
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« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2012, 12:56:47 am »
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Thomas and Ginsburg are good friends.
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"Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard. . . But freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order."
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« Reply #23 on: May 25, 2012, 12:38:29 am »
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I'd readily vote Scalia for "most overrated".
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« Reply #24 on: May 25, 2012, 02:43:14 pm »
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Quote from: Badger on May 25, 2012, 12:38:29 am
I'd readily vote Scalia for "most overrated".

I actually tend to agree with that. He's good (I know you think he's not), but not that good (he pretends that all you need rather than love is original intent, and the answer to everything just pops up, and that dog just won't hunt sometimes). Roberts I think is the man. I am surprised about all the Ginsburg love around here. Where did that come from?  I mean, she is a nice lady and all, but a brilliant legal mind?  Really?  The lady who mentioned Social Security and tossed it out as a life preserver for the solicitor general, when Clements was cutting him to pieces on the cross subsidy issue vis a vis the mandate thing and the futile search for a clear limiting principle?  I don't think so.

By the way, speaking of Ginsburg,  it is Scalia and Ginsburg who are best buds in fact. They go to the opera together a lot. Smiley
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