Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
It’s politics when you’re appointing a new justice; every political group in the world [campaigns for their preferred nominee.] But once the judge is appointed, it’s different. The judge is thinking, what is the correct decision according to the law?
— Retired Justice Stephen Breyer, in comments given during a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg Law, concerning a sense of “declining trust” in the American judiciary over the course of the last few years. Breyer said he didn’t think the decline was due to the Supreme Court’s politics, but went on to admit that the loss of trust could be a threat “if you’re talking very long run.”
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.