Americans increasingly view the Supreme Court as a politically compromised institution immersed in partisan culture wars. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell recently demonstrated yet again that the nation is justified in this view. He is refusing to rule out yet another blockade of any Democratic court nominee should his party retake the Senate next year.
The high court is by design intended to be the least partisan of the three branches of government. The nine justices aren’t elected; they are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, putting a check on the power of either elected branch. The justices serve for life, theoretically putting them outside the clutches of petty electoral politics.
History is full of anecdotal evidence that the court’s structure has, in fact, dampened partisan fervor on the bench. But there is also evidence the days of a politically independent court are over, largely because of McConnell’s shameless strategizing.
