Scalia Says Confirmation Too Politicized

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON Oct 10, 2005 — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, often extolled by conservative Republicans as their ideal model of a judge, said Monday the confirmation process was too politicized and that he wouldn't want to experience it again.

When asked whether he thought he could be confirmed again by the Senate, Scalia said: "I don't know. I wouldn't want to go through it today, I'll tell you that much."
.....
On another issue, Scalia said he is adamantly opposed to televising Supreme Court sessions.

"We don't want to become entertainment," he said. "I think there's something sick about making entertainment out of real people's legal problems. I don't like it in the lower courts, and I don't particularly like it in the Supreme Court."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has introduced legislation in the Senate that would allow sessions of the high court to be televised. The court has allowed the audio recordings of sessions to be released, but it has refused to allow cameras into its hearing chamber.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1199357&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[KyndCulture]

1. thanks for that Captain Obvious Scalia....

[don954]

2. cant have some public oversight, now can we?

gods forbid that we find out something about our most important justices! perish the thought!

[Rose Siding]

6. Who knew transparency was "sick"?

What a sour grapes wanker!

[rpannier]

9. I do think after watching some of these trials on the news

the judges and lawyers have started acting like they think they're auditioning for Law and Order. In some ways, I think it would be better if they got the cameras out and then maybe the people involved in the process would focus on the case.

[cascadiance]

3. He's prepping us for the "closed session" for Sibel Edmonds' appeal!

Nope, can't have those hearings broadcast at all! Gotta keep the gag orders going as long as they can... Sibel's hopefully going to get the 4 votes she needs to get heard on the court. Hopefully she can win O'Connor or someone over to get the 5-4 vote.

[gratuitous]

4. Yeah Fat Tony, I'll bet you wouldn't want to go through confirmation

Senator gratuitous: Missssster Sssscalia. Thank you for appearing today before this committee. I just have one question: Please detail for me your reasoning in Bush v. Gore, from the Court's acceptance of the case for the stated reason that not doing so would damage candidate Bush's claim to having won the election in Florida, a victory that hadn't actually been decided at that time, to the nutso "non-precedential" nature of that decision. I may have a follow up or two, Mr. Chairman.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

5. Gee, you think JUSTICE SUNDAY events play a part in politicizing

:eyes: Or Patwa Robertson daily tirades about the judiciary or Tom DeLay's comments on "activist judges" during the Schiavo debacle????:crazy:

[Mist]

14. They NEVER politicize--politicizing is only done by their opponents.nt

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

18. Oh, that's right, I forgot. LOL. nt

[melissinha]

7. It could be doen well, like Cspan

Frankly there is so much stuff that they do that goes under the radar, I think we should be able to witness it.

I think they should just refuse to make public statements... but proceedings could be televised....

[Hobarticus]

8. Thing is, there's no point in televising the SC...

They have zero public accountibility. Zero. They can't get voted out of office, they can't be discharged, we're stuck with them for life. So what's the point of transparency?

Which, since they CAN'T be removed, makes the process of confirmation that much more vital. Tony probably would not have survived.

And I have to agree with him, painful as it is. Legal proceedings should not be televised.

[jobycom]

10. If the nominations weren't so politicized, the confirmations wouldn't be

The confirmation focuses on the obvious question: why was this candidate chosen? When judges and justices were chosen on their legal merit and their extensive history of legal work, the confirmations focused on that. But Republican presidents continue to pick people with strong ideologies and weak to no judicial experience, so the focus is on their political ideology.

[Kber]

12. Excellent point!

[Jim__]

11. TV does not have to be mindless entertainment.

It can be educational. If Scalia couldn't resist mugging for the camera, that's his problem. Maybe he should resign and be replaced by someone more mature who could act judiciously, even in the presence of cameras.

[Lithos]

13. The confirmation should only be as political

As the nomination process.

L-

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. It looks too religionized to me

(sorry, is that a word?) Since Bush's main claim for Miers is "she's a born-again Christian, just like me - trust her", he seems to be aiming for a faith-based Supreme Court. Even some Christian conservative groups seem to think that's going a bit far - didn't one say "the only person we put that much trust in is God"?

Are any Supreme Court members known to be agnostic? That would seem to be a suitable attitude to religion for a neutral judge - has any president ever dared to make such a nomination?

[hogwyld]

17. I wholeheartedly agree

Maybe one of the prerequisites to appointment to the SC is that they either are agnostics, or atheists. That would get the law out of our bedrooms!

[Benhurst]

16. Hey, Fat Tony, maybe the APPOINTMENTS are too politicized. NT

[fshrink]

19. USC very consciously put us in an appalling mess.

In complete disregard for "real people", real voters in that case. The only "supremes" I can put up with are the singers.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Tell Scalia the Supreme Court is too politicized.

Thanks to him.

[Skidmore]

21. Well, Tony, when you take it upon yourselves to be kingmakers,

what do you expect? People try to have more to say about who annoints the once and future king.

[yellowcanine]

22. Shut up Tony. Find Dick Chaney and do some duck hunting - or whatever

it is you do with the dickhead.

[JNelson6563]

23. Well since the SCOTUS can elect the Prez

politics comes into play. What'd you expect Scalia, you dumbass?

Julie