Federal Judges Answer Only to the Constitution
I read Doug Bandow’s commentary (“A Way to End Bitter Fights Over Justices,” March 2) with utter amazement! He argues that amending the Constitution to provide fixed terms would increase federal judges’ “accountability.” Accountability to whom? He argues for fixed terms so that “ ... elective officials could eventually reassert control.... “
The whole idea of lifetime tenure is to make federal judges independent of elected officials and public opinion. Their accountability is to the Constitution only.
Bandow takes this long-established principle of the Constitution and turns it on its head. Bandow does a nice job of spreading libertarian propaganda, but a poor job of understanding a constitutional principle that has served Americans well for more than two centuries.
Jay Stevens
Long Beach
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