July 8, 2008
IT'S ALMOST AS IF....:
McCain newly assertive on judicial philosophy (AVI ZENILMAN & BEN ADLER, 7/8/08, Politico)
Despite his background as a lawyer and law lecturer at the University of Chicago, Barack Obama has said little from the stump about legal issues, particularly what sort of justices he’d want on the Supreme Court, whose makeup is likely to be shaped for decades to come by the next president’s nominees.John McCain, who has no legal background and who generally has not made matters of jurisprudence one of his signature issues in the Senate, has recently been more aggressive in offering his views on the law while campaigning.
...a liberal judicial philosophy is a political liability.... Posted by Orrin Judd at July 8, 2008 7:22 AM
Perhaps I betray the insular prejudices of my class, but to my mind, a candidate's law degree is a liability, a candidate's spouse's law degree is another liability, and a candidate's membership on the law review is a third liability. Unless he's got a sign on his desk like Clarence Thomas's, that is.
The guy who edited the law review when I was a third-year student was a nice guy, extremely smart and hard working, and I absolutely would not want him anywhere near the levers of power. Much the same could be said for most of the law review staff.
Posted by: Random Lawyer at July 8, 2008 4:43 PM