Thi is what Chief Justice Roberts said after President Trump blasted a California U.S. District Court judge who temporarily blocked the administration from denying asylum to migrants who enter the U.S. illegally.
This is obviously the official position of the federal courts system, and the ideal, but is it accurate? Judges certainly have different judicial philosophies, but are they non-partisan? If judges' political leanings were irrelevant why would political parties stoop to hyper-partisan tactics to block appointments?
Roberts' statement reminded me of a conversation I had with a judge friend of mine who argued that judges render completely impartial decisions absent any bias whatsoever. I disagreed based on my experience in politics and the practice of law for 20 years. All people, including judges, have specific ideas about things, and are activists for the values they cherish. Isn't this the nature of human beings?
Are any human beings truly independent if "truly" independent means completely independent of influence. Does anyone think otherwise? Should we be thankful for an independent judiciary, or is the notion of complete independence just an ideal? Maybe we should be thankful for the idea of ideals, and the infinite notion of our potential...
