Before he was President, he was a law professor. My
professor.
Then-professor, now President Barack Obama,
Ellen Fulton, Joe Khan, and me in 1999 at University
of Chicago Law School.
For more than 10 years, President Obama taught at
the University of Chicago Law School, an institution
known for its commitment to full and vigorous debate
from all sides of the intellectual spectrum. It's where
the late Justice Antonin Scalia served as a professor
for several years and developed his originalist view of
the Constitution. It’s a school where all points of view
are treated with respect and are subject to the same
rigorous challenge.
And it's where President Obama will return this
afternoon for the first time since moving into the
White House to talk with law students about the
enduring benefits of an impartial Supreme Court
and how the current confirmation process holds the
potential long-term consequences for some of our
most important constitutional values.
Tune in here to the conversation at 3:30 pm Eastern
to catch the President’s conversation on the Supreme
Court.
For the first time in recent memory, Senate
Republicans are flatly refusing to consider a Supreme
Court nomination because they hope another party
will win the next election. It isn't clear whether the
Senate will ultimately deny the President's nominee
a hearing or a vote for the entire year, so before
positions harden, this is a good time for all of us to
step back and think about the broader costs of this
potential action to our judiciary.
Professor Obama always insisted on class discussion.
He didn’t like to lecture. Rather, he liked to present
difficult questions and require students to consider
the logical extension of their arguments and decide
whether they still maintained their positions.
Professor Obama, like most law professors, used
hypotheticals to illustrate his point. So consider this
one: What if the next Senate declared that absolutely
no Supreme Court appointments would be considered
not just in the last year of the President's term, but for
the President's entire term, regardless of how many
vacancies might pile up, because they hoped someone
else would be elected four years later?
We all want judges that are respected, independent,
nonpartisan, and fair to everyone. It's not easy to
create an impartial judicial system when the people
who select and confirm our judges are elected and
inherently partisan, especially when it requires
collaboration between the President and Senate
leadership, who often represent different parties.
Thus, we rely on political leaders overcoming the
political calculations of the moment in order to
preserve something that benefits all of us: a truly
independent system of justice.
So join in today at 3:30 pm Eastern here and share
your own thoughts on this issue using the hashtag
#SCOTUS.
There is something precious and powerful about an
independent judiciary, a branch of government that
can and must maintain its impartiality in our political
system. It’s hard to do.
I don't think we want future law professors to
explain how 2016 began a cycle of blatant partisanship
in judicial appointments and confirmations. An
independent judiciary, born from the heart of our
Constitution, is too important to imperil.
That's one of the lessons I learned from Professor
Obama. I hope our Senators take that lesson to heart
as well.
Dan Johnson.
Class of 2000.
University
of Chicago Law.
Chicago,
IL.
professor.
Then-professor, now President Barack Obama,
Ellen Fulton, Joe Khan, and me in 1999 at University
of Chicago Law School.
For more than 10 years, President Obama taught at
the University of Chicago Law School, an institution
known for its commitment to full and vigorous debate
from all sides of the intellectual spectrum. It's where
the late Justice Antonin Scalia served as a professor
for several years and developed his originalist view of
the Constitution. It’s a school where all points of view
are treated with respect and are subject to the same
rigorous challenge.
And it's where President Obama will return this
afternoon for the first time since moving into the
White House to talk with law students about the
enduring benefits of an impartial Supreme Court
and how the current confirmation process holds the
potential long-term consequences for some of our
most important constitutional values.
Tune in here to the conversation at 3:30 pm Eastern
to catch the President’s conversation on the Supreme
Court.
For the first time in recent memory, Senate
Republicans are flatly refusing to consider a Supreme
Court nomination because they hope another party
will win the next election. It isn't clear whether the
Senate will ultimately deny the President's nominee
a hearing or a vote for the entire year, so before
positions harden, this is a good time for all of us to
step back and think about the broader costs of this
potential action to our judiciary.
Professor Obama always insisted on class discussion.
He didn’t like to lecture. Rather, he liked to present
difficult questions and require students to consider
the logical extension of their arguments and decide
whether they still maintained their positions.
Professor Obama, like most law professors, used
hypotheticals to illustrate his point. So consider this
one: What if the next Senate declared that absolutely
no Supreme Court appointments would be considered
not just in the last year of the President's term, but for
the President's entire term, regardless of how many
vacancies might pile up, because they hoped someone
else would be elected four years later?
We all want judges that are respected, independent,
nonpartisan, and fair to everyone. It's not easy to
create an impartial judicial system when the people
who select and confirm our judges are elected and
inherently partisan, especially when it requires
collaboration between the President and Senate
leadership, who often represent different parties.
Thus, we rely on political leaders overcoming the
political calculations of the moment in order to
preserve something that benefits all of us: a truly
independent system of justice.
So join in today at 3:30 pm Eastern here and share
your own thoughts on this issue using the hashtag
#SCOTUS.
There is something precious and powerful about an
independent judiciary, a branch of government that
can and must maintain its impartiality in our political
system. It’s hard to do.
I don't think we want future law professors to
explain how 2016 began a cycle of blatant partisanship
in judicial appointments and confirmations. An
independent judiciary, born from the heart of our
Constitution, is too important to imperil.
That's one of the lessons I learned from Professor
Obama. I hope our Senators take that lesson to heart
as well.
Dan Johnson.
Class of 2000.
University
of Chicago Law.
Chicago,
IL.