Favorite current US Supreme Court Justice

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Justice Sotomayor has far exceeded my expectations and I expect her to be the intellectual heavyweight for the Court's liberal wing when Ginsburg leaves.

Really? I've heard that sort of talked about re: Kagan.

Kagan voted against the Medicaid expansion, in one of the most legally absurd decisions of recent years. She's a disgrace and Obama made a huge mistake appointing her.

Kagan, Holder, and Rahm really seem like they got the job because they had known Obama for a while, not because they'd be any good at it.

[politicallefty]

Justice Sotomayor has far exceeded my expectations and I expect her to be the intellectual heavyweight for the Court's liberal wing when Ginsburg leaves.

Really? I've heard that sort of talked about re: Kagan.

Absolutely. Read this, particularly what Laurence Tribe has to say:

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As for Justice Alito, mentioned in this topic, I think he's the worst sitting Justice currently on the Supreme Court. I think he's the number one justice in terms of substituting his own views over the Constitution, and he's particularly bad on civil liberties (especially free speech rights). From a liberal standpoint, Justices Scalia and Thomas have at least some respect towards civil liberties. Scalia tends to be quite good when it comes to siding with the defense in criminal cases, often in cases where Breyer takes the side of the government.

[Mordecai]

Ginsburg.

Justice Sotomayor has far exceeded my expectations and I expect her to be the intellectual heavyweight for the Court's liberal wing when Ginsburg leaves.

Really? I've heard that sort of talked about re: Kagan.

Kagan voted against the Medicaid expansion, in one of the most legally absurd decisions of recent years. She's a disgrace and Obama made a huge mistake appointing her.

Kagan, Holder, and Rahm really seem like they got the job because they had known Obama for a while, not because they'd be any good at it.

Actually all three worked in the Clinton administration. Kagan was supposed to be confirmed for the D.C. Circuit Court but Clinton left office before it happened, Holder was the Deputy Attorney General, and Rahm was a Senior Advisor in the White House.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Scalia.  I tend to agree with his positions the most, especially on civil liberties cases, and while I disagree with his tendency to use personal opinions and policy arguments on some social cases, those generally rank lower in terms of importance to me.

I think Scalia was the Scalia/Stevens dissent was the only defensible position in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004).  Scalia's dissent wasn't driven by emotional fear of terrorism, which is what I think drove the plurality's and especially Thomas's dissent, which was one of the most dangerous opinions I've ever read.

Scalia's dissent in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013), had a good start on the standing issue, but I think Scalia could've been stronger in his logic.  On the merits, I think his rationale was flawed, but for me, the standing issue was more important there.  I was wholly unimpressed with Alito's dissent overall.

I was similarly unimpressed with Alito's dissent in Snyder v. Phelps, 131 S. Ct. 1207 (2011), and I thought he took an absolutely terrible standpoint from a civil liberties aspect.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Kennedy, because he doesn't use a "one size fits all" approach to judicial philosophy.

[TDAS04]

Ginsburg.

[politicus]

Sotomayor.

[Mr. Smith]

Much as I want to say Ginsburg since her positions are usually inherently much better than the rest of them.

I'm putting my lot with Sotomayor, whose positions are maybe not so liberal, but her arguments seem to be more logical rather than pathic, and what I've read about her rise to the tops is truly impressive

Breyer and Kennedy are okay, but they seem to be moderates "just 'cuz"..ultimately putting them in the same trap of centrist stupidity that bounds most of the Democratic Party today.

Roberts is the lone conservative who can be respectfully disagreed with though he's had his stopped clock moments, the rest of them are just too entertaining for all the wrong reasons on good days.

[dusvar123]

Scalia

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Scalia

[nclib]

Ginsburg. I have mixed feelings for when she should retire, as she is 81. It would be hard to get a liberal judge through the Senate now, but there's no guarantee Dems will win the White House (or even the Senate) in 2016.

[Lincoln Republican]

Ginsburg. I have mixed feelings for when she should retire, as she is 81. It would be hard to get a liberal judge through the Senate now, but there's no guarantee Dems will win the White House (or even the Senate) in 2016.

About a decade ago.

[RogueBeaver]

Scalia.

[© tweed]

Ginsburg. I have mixed feelings for when she should retire, as she is 81. It would be hard to get a liberal judge through the Senate now, but there's no guarantee Dems will win the White House (or even the Senate) in 2016.

she's a gritty bird, she'll die on the Court.  the odds of her living through 01/20/2021 are probably <50%, if that makes you feel any better.