American Supreme Court - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Born in New York, Buffalo on January 27, 1955, Chief Justice John G. Roberts took office as the Chief Justice of the United States judiciary on September 29, 2005, after his nomination was approved by the Senate. Aged 55 then, Justice Roberts is a republican confirmed in his capacity by a Republican-lead Senate vote of 78 to 22 votes of the democrats. His views have majorly been conservative.
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is yet another conservative justice appointed under the Bush administration at the age of 56. Born April 1, 1950, Justice Alito has served the country in his capacity as an associate judge of the Supreme Court since January 31, 2006. Like Roberts, he was confirmed by a Republican-lead Senate vote of 58 to 42 votes of the Democrats.
Part C
For both Justices, please list the following:
• Date appointed, Appointed by, Age at the appointment, Political party, Confirmation vote, Conservative/Liberal Ideology
• What are the political philosophies of these justices? Is there a relationship between political parties and judicial philosophy? Did you encounter any exceptions?
• Were the confirmation votes nearly unanimous? If presidents select nominees with a particular political view, why do you think most justices win confirmation easily? Do Americans expect these justices to be neutral or partisan? Why is this an important issue?
• Do you think that it is important that diversity exists in terms of race, religion, gender, and the like among justices on the Supreme Court? Does this Court represent diversity, in your opinion? Explain.
The political histories as well as personal ideologies of the two Supreme Court judges indicate they subscribe to the conservative ideologies of republicanism. Though related, political philosophy and judicial philosophy are strange bedfellows. On the one hand, Political philosophies concerns outcomes guided by individual thoughts of how the world and the law by extension ought to operate. On the other hand, judicial philosophy is based on articulate, rational, defensible choices meant to guide decision-making and is largely fixed on the proper interpretation of the Constitution. ...Download file to see next pages Read More