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Obama’s High Court Pick Concerns Area Lawyers
By KEVIN CIRILLI, The Bulletin
As speculation about President Barack Obama’s nomination to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court intensifies, some Philadelphia attorneys said they are concerned about his decision.
Brian Guthrie and Judd Serotta, members of the Philadelphia Federalist Society chapter, spoke to The Bulletin about their thoughts on what Mr. Obama should look for in a nominee. Both Philadelphia attorneys and spoke on behalf of themselves rather than their affiliations.
Mr. Guthrie, co-founder of Philadelphia Federalist Society chapter, a national organization of lawyers who believe in preserving freedom, said he is worried the nominee Mr. Obama chooses might be overly empathetic to a litigant’s status and allow it to unfairly affect court rulings. These statuses include economic class, racial ethnicity, gender and age, he said.
“It’s the blindness that Lady Justice needs to demonstrate that is crucial,” Mr. Guthrie said. “To pick that blindfold up to peek who is in front of you — I couldn’t disagree more.”
Following Justice Souter’s retirement announcement, Mr. Obama said, during a press conference, he would seek someone “who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook.”
Mr. Obama told reporters he viewed the quality of empathy as an “essential ingredient” for arriving at just decisions and outcomes.
The Federalist Society will not endorse an individual, chapter President Judd Serotta said. However, they are committed to have a public dialogue about the judiciary’s role in U.S. government while the nation’s attention is focused on it, Mr. Serotta said.
“President Obama should be looking for someone who believes that a judge’s job should be to determine what the law is and not their personal views,” Mr. Serotta said.
He said issues such as national security, abortion and affirmative action are topics the Supreme Court may soon have to rule over.
“We’re very confident that when people think about the role of the judge, they tend to agree that a judge should be a lot more limited in shaping ideology than politicians,” Mr. Serotta said.
Mr. Guthrie said whomever Mr. Obama nominates should practice judicial restraint like many of the founders of the U.S., including Alexander Hamilton who wrote some of the historic Federalist Papers.
“They’re principals that ought not to be considered to be in need of modernization or elastic,” Mr. Guthrie said. “It’s extraordinarily important for people to take this process seriously.”
Though Mr. Guthrie said he disagrees with Mr. Obama politically on many issues, such as his economic policies, he said it is important not to speculate about Mr. Obama’s choice for the nomination for this “extraordinary” role in our government.
Messrs. Guthrie and Serotta are both Philadelphia attorneys and spoke on behalf of themselves rather than their affiliations.
Kevin Cirilli can be reached at kcirilli@thebulletin.us
Brian Guthrie and Judd Serotta, members of the Philadelphia Federalist Society chapter, spoke to The Bulletin about their thoughts on what Mr. Obama should look for in a nominee. Both Philadelphia attorneys and spoke on behalf of themselves rather than their affiliations.
Mr. Guthrie, co-founder of Philadelphia Federalist Society chapter, a national organization of lawyers who believe in preserving freedom, said he is worried the nominee Mr. Obama chooses might be overly empathetic to a litigant’s status and allow it to unfairly affect court rulings. These statuses include economic class, racial ethnicity, gender and age, he said.
“It’s the blindness that Lady Justice needs to demonstrate that is crucial,” Mr. Guthrie said. “To pick that blindfold up to peek who is in front of you — I couldn’t disagree more.”
Following Justice Souter’s retirement announcement, Mr. Obama said, during a press conference, he would seek someone “who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook.”
Mr. Obama told reporters he viewed the quality of empathy as an “essential ingredient” for arriving at just decisions and outcomes.
The Federalist Society will not endorse an individual, chapter President Judd Serotta said. However, they are committed to have a public dialogue about the judiciary’s role in U.S. government while the nation’s attention is focused on it, Mr. Serotta said.
“President Obama should be looking for someone who believes that a judge’s job should be to determine what the law is and not their personal views,” Mr. Serotta said.
He said issues such as national security, abortion and affirmative action are topics the Supreme Court may soon have to rule over.
“We’re very confident that when people think about the role of the judge, they tend to agree that a judge should be a lot more limited in shaping ideology than politicians,” Mr. Serotta said.
Mr. Guthrie said whomever Mr. Obama nominates should practice judicial restraint like many of the founders of the U.S., including Alexander Hamilton who wrote some of the historic Federalist Papers.
“They’re principals that ought not to be considered to be in need of modernization or elastic,” Mr. Guthrie said. “It’s extraordinarily important for people to take this process seriously.”
Though Mr. Guthrie said he disagrees with Mr. Obama politically on many issues, such as his economic policies, he said it is important not to speculate about Mr. Obama’s choice for the nomination for this “extraordinary” role in our government.
Messrs. Guthrie and Serotta are both Philadelphia attorneys and spoke on behalf of themselves rather than their affiliations.
Kevin Cirilli can be reached at kcirilli@thebulletin.us
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