Mr. Swartz Goes to Washington (Aaron Swartz: The Weblog)
I was impressed by how smart the Justices were. These were people who very thoroughly understood the issues and thought quickly on their feet. They were interested in long-lasting effects and classics, I doubted many cared much for Mickey or Steamboat Willie. It’s sad we don’t have this level of intellectualism and intelligence in the rest of our government today.
The justices are appointed, not elected, which has a lot to do with it. Since they don’t campaign for the the job, their work within the judiciary is what gets examined. Imagine our representatives and senators having to write a defensible opinion on a legal issue, using the Constitution or case law as their examples.
I understand and agree with Aaronbut I’m not surprised at the intellectual heft of the Court: I expect it. Imagine how things would be if the Court were an elected body or otherwise subject to the vicissitudes of politics.