|
Rehnquist was never a federal judge. He did very well as Chief Justice, even if I didn't agree with quite a few of his decisions. Why was he "good" and not "bad? As CJ, it was his job to move things along efficiently and assign decisions to be written when he was in the majority.
Lewis Powell wasn't a judge either. Neither was Thurgood Marshall. Same with Earl Warren. Those are three really powerful names in court history, and they wrote some big decisions.
It's not stupid at all. Nor is it a prerequisit, although it looks that way from the current crop of justices. Rumor has it Mario Cuomo turned down a nomination during Bill's term because he wanted out of politics, but he never served as a judge (to the best of my knowledge). Being a federal judge before is neither a help nor a hinderance. If you disagree, I'd love to hear why.
As for Hillary herself, I think that it would be a very smart move on her part.
__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo
|