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Originally Posted by smooth
Being a crony disqualifies someone from sitting on the highest court of the land.
Isn't a crony someone who is unethical or outright criminal?
Regardless, I didn't see anything in the following text of your post that supported the point that cronies shouldn't be supreme court justices. I can't even believe that's a serious comment after I just typed that out...anyway, you did support the last statement you made: that being a judge shouldn't disqualify someone, which I agree with on that point.
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One entry found for crony.
Main Entry: cro·ny
Pronunciation: 'krO-nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural cronies
Etymology: perhaps from Greek chronios long-lasting, from chronos time
:
a close friend especially of long standing
Robert H. Jackson was a fairly close associate of the President that appointed him. I think it is fair to think of him as a crony. I have never associated the word "crony" with negative actions - but I find that people often use the word to describe a person when there IS something negative that they are trying to convey.
If any of you aren't familiar with Justice Jackson, his is the picture under host's name when he posts. Check out
www.roberthjackson.org if you want to learn about someone who has commanded the respect of many a Supreme Court Justice. Rehnquist served as Jackson's law clerk on the Court for several years.
Remember, I'm not saying that this woman is the legal, nor even intellectual equal of this person. I merely want to stress that being friends with a President does NOT disqualify you from the bench, just as not having served as a judge wouldn't disqualify. It certainly isn't the norm nowadays, but there have been effective Justices wihtout that particular qualification.
Hell, just a few years ago there was talk that Rehnquist might even retire, and that a respected law professor might be tapped as the nomination! THAT decision might have resulted in a tad less controversey, but I wonder....