WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2018 – In the latest edition of Yeomans Work, AFJ Senior Justice Fellow Bill Yeomans writes that the Supreme Court “has been captured by the sustained effort of the Republican Party to distort the third branch of government into an instrument to promote a right-wing political agenda. While the justices will not decide cases in the language of partisan politics, the conservative majority will repeatedly reach results that match Republican political goals. The conservative justices were selected by political officials and confirmed through a highly partisan political process because they were reliable votes for those results. The product is a political institution.”
Yeomans describes the process of grooming conservative judges for positions on high federal courts, with the Federalist Society acting as a major player in the process. And now, the effort seems to be expanding. Notes Yeomans: “As reported in the New York Times, the Heritage Foundation is accepting applications for its clerkship training institute. Apparently, the Foundation intends to train conservative students embarking on judicial clerkships as it continues its push to drive the judiciary to the right.”
Yeomans says Congress must look at ways to counteract this overwhelming conservative political influence on the Court. These should start with ethics and transparency reforms, but could one day extend to term limits and even additional Court seats.
Yeomans Work focuses on the challenges to the justice system in the era of Trump. Bill Yeomans is available for media interviews. Contact Laurie Kinney, Communications Director, at laurie@afj.org or 202-464-7367.