A life sentence is something that most of us hope to avoid. However, for judges, a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is the ultimate job in the legal world. Earlier this month, Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced that he will retire from the Court at the end of this term. The President will nominate a new Justice to be confirmed by the Senate and seated by October.

 

Our Founding Fathers gave federal judges a lifetime appointment for a very specific reason: they wanted judges to be free from the pressures of elective office. We want Judges who are focused on the law, not on partisan politics.

 

I hope the President will pick someone who will not bring an agenda or partisan ideology to the bench. I believe judges should simply interpret the law, not make the law from the bench. The Supreme Court is often the last defender of individual rights.

 

In recent years, the Court has split 5 to 4 on decisions that have a major effect on our rights. In 2008, the Court cited the Second Amendment in striking down a District of Columbia gun law. The landmark decision reaffirmed gun ownership as an individual right.

 

A lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is not a decision that any President should take lightly. The President must make sure that his nominee understands the important responsibilities that are entrusted to the Court. He must also understand that role of any Judge is to follow the law, not make it.

 

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