Over the years, I have written at length about judicial courage. And I'm not alone. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have cited this virtue. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance has done the same.
Hugh Hewitt interviewed Vance about what he would look for in a Supreme Court nominee. Vance replies that a Justice should have demonstrated "real courage" by standing up to the crowd. Critically, they must identify a time in which they faced that sort of pressure, and did not back down. It is not enough to talk the talk; you have to walk the walk.
HH: "I know Vice President Pence, when he was serving in your office, he had the last interview with every Supreme Court nominee potential. And if you are in that position down the road, what do you want to know about a Supreme Court nominee?
[Vance:] Oh, that's a good question. I've never been asked that question, Hugh. You always ask the best questions, man. But, you know, I guess what I would try to understand is how persuadable they are by the mob. Because what we've learned from our Supreme Court over the last 10, 15 years, but especially over the last few years, is that the mob really comes after these guys for high-profile decisions. And obviously, you don't want to prejudge an outcome, but I just want a person with real courage. I think this is what makes Alito and Thomas so special, is that they're just willing to stand in defiance of a lot of incredible media and social pressure. I mean, if you're in the Supreme Court, you are literally inside the beltway. You consume beltway media. That's who you see day to day. You have to have a particular special character. And so I guess I'd ask some questions that try to tease that out a little bit. I'd ask them, you know, when have they ever stood up to the crowd? When have they ever, you know, had people attack them for their views? And if they've never, ever had to stand up to public pressure, they're probably not the right person for the Supreme Court."
