Word: benching
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...white temple it is always quiet. No lobbyists or reporters hover about the paneled chambers; tall bronze gates seal off the cool marble passageways from the public. The black-robed Justices emerge onto the high bench only to hear the arguments of deferential lawyers, and then vanish again behind a thick velvet curtain. They deliberate in secret, insulated and remote from the hurly-burly of American politics...
...Constitutional Lawyer Floyd Abrams notes, "it matters who does the breathing." The Justices unavoidably bring their own personal values and political philosophies to the bench. In modern times, they have not hesitated to pass judgment on such basic moral issues as abortion and the death penalty. Indeed, over the past three decades, the Brethren, as the nine Justices are still called even though a woman has joined their ranks, have given such vibrant life to the constitutional guarantees of equality and individual liberty that American society stands transformed...
...Reagan wins reelection, much depends on what kind of conservative he chooses for the bench. A judicial conservative, believing in restraint, might not like the abortion decision, but he would regard it as binding precedent. A political conservative worries more about results than the judicial process and might not hesitate to disregard the findings of his predecessors. On Reagan's list of appointees, both types of conservatives can be found (see following story). If Reagan picks ideologues, says N.Y.U.'s Reiss, "God knows what could happen. They could overrule anything they didn't like. They could rewrite...
...California friends are likely candidates for the short list: outgoing Attorney General William French Smith and the man nominated by Reagan to succeed him, White House Counsellor Edwin Meese. Smith, 67, practiced labor law for a large Los Angeles firm (he represented management) and has no experience on the bench. Meese, 53, a former professor at San Diego Law School, is best known in legal circles for his law-and-order views. He once called the American Civil Liberties Union "a criminals' lobby." A special prosecutor last month cleared Meese of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with giving federal...
Traditionally, a Supreme Court justice each year heads the three-judge panel which evaluates students' presentations. Last year, Harry A. Blackmun '29 served as chief justice at Austin Hall, and Sandra Day O'Connor sat on the bench...