(n) the manner in which courts make decisions. The science or philosophy of law.What is the basis of Supreme Court decisions? Ralph Lerner has described the Supreme Court as a "republican schoolmaster" whose responsibility it is to "transfer to the minds of the citizens the modes of thought lying behind legal language and the notions of right fundamental to the regime," (Ralph Lerner, "The Supreme Court as Republican Schoolmaster," in 1967 Supreme Court Review. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967, pp. 127-128. ). Conservative justices tend to reserve their judgments to the original intent of the Framers, thus practicing judicial restraint. Liberals opt for a more activist jurisprudence. This approach recognizes the Constitution as a living document and whose spirit must be adapted to contemporary issues. These varying views regarding jurisprudence make for interesting gamesmanship on today’s highest court. “
Without justice being freely, fully, and impartially administered, neither our persons, nor our rights, nor our property, can be protected.” Joseph Story
Today’s Supreme CourtBox Score
Chief Justice:
John Roberts (G.W. Bush, 2005) CB
Associate Justices:
John Paul Stevens (Ford, 1975) LB
Antonin Scalia (Reagan, 1986) CB
Anthony M. Kennedy (Reagan, 1988) CB – S
Clarence Thomas (H.W. Bush, 1991) CB
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Clinton, 1993) LB
Stephen G. Breyer (Clinton, 1994) LB
Samuel Alito (G.W. Bush, 2005) CB
Sonia Sotomayor (Obama, 2009) LB
(President/Year Appointed) CB =Conservative Bloc, LB= Liberal Bloc, S = Swinger (often determines majority)
“. . . nine little law firms.” Justice Robert Jackson
