大法官巴雷特是一位憲法原始主義(originalism)者,即按憲法原始意義解釋判斷案例,她在宣誓就職儀式上發表的講話反複強調了這一點。她在發言即將結束時說:“...... My fellow Americans, even though we judges don’t face elections, we still work for you. It is your Constitution that establishes the rule of law and the judicial independence that is so central to it. The oath that I have solemnly taken tonight means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor and that I will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences ...... ”(大意為:“。。。我的美國同胞們,盡管我們法官不會麵臨選舉,但我們仍然為你們工作。正是你們的憲法確立了法治和司法獨立,這對憲法至關重要。我今晚莊嚴宣誓,其核心是,我將毫無畏懼、毫不偏袒、獨立地履行我的職責,不受政治派別與我個人偏好的影響。。。”)。
真好,美國最高法院變成了共和黨控製的微型眾議院,這種格局至少持續20年? 問題是,但當人們能準確地預測最高法院的判決後,最高法院就變得 irrelevant 了,就如中國的"人民代表大會",使共和黨的橡皮圖章。
Unless John Reberts does something, and he will.