The blogs have been abuzz with this article from the Examiner about David Souter’s problems on the Court.

We’ve known for some time now that David Souter hasn’t been enjoying his tenure on the Court. Justice Souter started out as a conservative Justice but has since converted into a card-carrying member of the Court’s liberal wing.

Justice Souter’s increasing displeasure with the court has serious political implications for Washington. It was wildly believed that Justices Ginsburg and Stevens would seriously consider exiting the Court under if a democrat wins the ‘08 elections. If we add Justice Souter to the list, the democrats could reinforce their position on the court for the next 30 years. Conversely, if the Republicans win the Presidency and all three of these Justices step down, the Court will have seven firmly conservative Justices and one right-leaning member with Justice Kennedy. In this scenario, Justice Breyer would be left to battle his conservative colleagues alone for at least 15 years.

I think its interesting that at least 2 of the 9 Justices are miserable. Justice Thomas isn’t particularly fond of the limelight (or the english language) which makes the Court a uniquely awkward experience for him. I would be surprised if 22% of Presidents haven’t liked their jobs and I would be truly shocked to find out that 22% of Congressmen dislike theirs.

So why do Supreme Court Justices hate their job so much?

Related posts

• Unity Defined (June 11, 2007)
• Supreme Introductions (December 20, 2008)
• Supreme Court Upholds Application of Lethal Injection (April 16, 2008)