The main thing that has helped is that Republican appointee judges are more likely to be considerably different than expected. Earl Warren, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that ruled in favor of civil rights cases, was an Eisenhower appointee, and Eisenhower himself called Warren the worst decision he ever made. Justice Stevens? A Ford appointee. Souter? A Bush, Sr. appointee.
What concerns me, more than anything, is that the GOP will feel as though they have to appoint complete demagogues to get their way. I find Scalia to be the most revolting of all the Supreme Court justices, mainly because I do not trust him to be impartial. And you generally know what he thinks about several important issues that are likely to hit his court, because he goes around the country making fiery speeches that I'd expect from a Republican politician, not an "impartial" judge! That's really what frightens me more than overturning Roe v. Wade, because I have a feeling that the GOP would be more than contented to turn our judiciary into an Iranian-style theocratic judiciary just to get its way.
Interesting..So if Scalia's interpretation of our Constitution was in line with your beliefs he'd be a genius right? If their rulings are to the Left they are impartial. If the ruling is to the right they are shills for the GOP???
As for your comment on summarily approved..... What about Robert Bork.
The Senate...now controlled by the Dems, does not a rubber stamp their approvals.
Main article: Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination
Bork (right) with President Ronald Reagan, 1987
Bork (right) with President Ronald Reagan, 1987
Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell was a moderate, and even before his expected retirement on June 27, 1987, Senate Democrats had asked liberal leaders to form "a solid phalanx" to oppose whoever President Ronald Reagan nominated to replace him, assuming it would tilt the court rightward; Democrats warned Reagan there would be a fight.[3] Reagan nominated Bork for the seat on July 1, 1987.
Within 45 minutes of Bork's nomination to the Court, Ted Kennedy (D-MA) took to the Senate floor with a strong condemnation of Bork in a nationally televised speech, declaring:
"Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is -- and is often the only -- protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy... President Reagan is still our president. But he should not be able to reach out from the muck of Irangate, reach into the muck of Watergate and impose his reactionary vision of the Constitution on the Supreme Court and the next generation of American. No justice would be better than this injustice."
TV ads narrated by Gregory Peck attacked Bork as an extremist. Kennedy's speech successfully fueled widespread public skepticism of Bork's nomination. The rapid response of Kennedy's "Robert Bork's America" speech stunned the Reagan White House; though conservatives considered Kennedy's accusations slanderous,[3] the attacks went unanswered for two and a half months.[4]
A hotly contested United States Senate debate over Bork's nomination ensued, partly fueled by strong opposition by civil and women's rights groups concerned with what they claimed was Bork's desire to roll back civil rights decisions of the Warren and Burger courts. Bork is one of only three Supreme Court nominees to ever be opposed by the ACLU.[5] Bork was also criticized for being an "advocate of disproportionate powers for the executive branch of Government, almost executive supremacy,"[6] as demonstrated by his role in the Saturday Night Massacre.
During debate over his nomination, Bork's video rental history was leaked to the press, which led to the enactment of the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act. His video rental history was unremarkable, and included such harmless titles as A Day at the Races, Ruthless People and The Man Who Knew Too Much. The list of rentals was originally printed by Washington D.C.'s City Paper.[7]
To pro-choice legal groups, Bork's originalist views and his belief that the Constitution does not contain a general "right to privacy" were viewed as a clear signal that, should he become a Justice on the Supreme Court, he would vote to reverse the Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Accordingly, a large number of left-wing groups mobilized to press for Bork's rejection, and the resulting 1987 Senate confirmation hearings became an intensely partisan battle. Bork was faulted for his bluntness before the committee, including his criticism of the reasoning underlying Roe v. Wade. On October 23, 1987,
the Senate rejected Bork's confirmation, with 42 Senators voting in favor and 58 voting against. Senators David Boren (D-OK) and Ernest Hollings (D-SC) voted in favor, with Senators John Chafee (R-RI), Bob Packwood (R-OR), Richard Shelby (D-AL), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Robert Stafford (R-VT), John Warner (R-VA) and Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R-CT) all voting nay. The vacant seat on the court to which Bork was nominated eventually went to Judge Anthony Kennedy.
Note the affirming votes from Democrats and nay votes from Republicans.