How Reagan Changed the Courts

Another article about how judges were appointed. This time by the Reagan administration who took appointment of judges to new levels of sophistication.

Attributes of an ideal Supreme Court justice (in the eyes of a conservative leader) were:

"refusal to create new constitutional rights for the individual" and "deference to states in their spheres," as well as "legal competence" and "strong leadership on the court/young and vigorous."

On the transformation of the judiciary:

"President Reagan turned a system dominated by party courtesy and patronage into a systematic process that was an extension of his policies."