The lie that Republican appointees would vote politically has been exposed.
Again.
The vast vast majority of judges abhor politicization of the judiciary.
Any time I had a client ask me who appointed the federal judge we drew, I knew I was in for an unpleasant ride. And I was usually right.
When the case rides on “who,” it’s much tougher to win and impossible to keep a client happy. The facts and law matter. The who doesn’t.
I think to an extent you are correct, and once people are actually elevated to the SCOTUS they gain a fresh perspective in line with keeping with the august nature of what they are a part of...
However, pre-SCOTUS (esp under Trump) we seem to be dealing with abject naked politicization of the Judiciary. And it seems like some, Lindsey Graham in particular are aware of this and want to ensure that it continues post-Trump.
“This is a historic opportunity,” Graham said. “We’ve put (nearly) 200 federal judges on the bench. ... If you can get four more years, I mean, it would change the judiciary for several generations.
So if you’re a circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status. Now would be a good time to do that, if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center.”
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/...tire/507-d29bffd1-ba4b-4607-a38d-30b1b7ce5b5a
And can we talk about the large number of unqualified partisans Trump and McConnell have pushed thru that are included among those nearly 200 federal judges Lindsey referenced? Starting with people like Neomi Rao, who appear to have been elevated to the bench based more on her fealty to Trump than any recognition as a distinguished jurist. She was like a 1 woman wrecking crew when it came to the issue of Congressional Oversight...
"A federal appeals court ruled that the House Judiciary Committee must be allowed to see certain confidential documents relating to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential Russian interference in the 2016 election — despite the Trump administration’s efforts to keep these documents secret.
That decision isn’t particularly surprising; indeed, it’s a pretty straightforward application of a federal procedural rule governing grand jury secrecy. The one thing that stands out about this decision is Judge Neomi Rao’s dissent.
Rao is both a former Trump White House official and a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. And her name is
well-known to anyone who has followed President Trump’s efforts to avoid congressional oversight. Last fall, she wrote a
widely mocked dissenting opinion that could have shut down much of Congress’s power to investigate the president altogether."
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/11/21173437/trump-judge-neomi-rao-mueller-grand-jury-dc-circuit
Her latest ruling which seems destined for more mockery and eventual reversal should it be reviewed is her over the top opinion regarding Judge Sullivan and Flynn. She seems to believe that Federal Prosecutors are unaccountable to anyone but the POTUS...
"On Wednesday, in a 2–1
decision, Judge Neomi Rao forced a district court to dismiss the prosecution of Michael Flynn. Rao’s opinion is an exercise in outcome-driven sophistry that barely pretends to be a judicial opinion. While gutting a vital check of executive misconduct, Rao whitewashed the Justice Department’s flagrantly political decision to drop charges against Flynn—hours before the House Judiciary Committee
heard whistleblowers testify about political interference at the DOJ, including in Flynn’s case. Rao accused the district court of “unprecedented intrusions on individual liberty” simply because it dared to “prob[e] the government’s motives” for meddling in the prosecution of the president’s ally.
Wednesday’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will almost certainly be appealed to the full court and possibly the Supreme Court after that. If upheld, Rao’s ruling will set a terrible legal precedent. But equally devastating are its broader, long-term implications for judicial independence."
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/michael-flynn-neomi-rao-trump-barr-sullivan.html