Aging Justice: A Fox 5 Investigat
The judicial branch doesn’t get much media attention, unlike the President and Congress, who seem to be perpetually scrutinized and dissected by reporters. Most judges shy away from the media. They never hold press conferences. They are strictly forbidden to talk about their cases. And they rarely grant an interview when they are allowed to talk.
Difficult, but not insurmountable circumstances...if you're a print reporter.
Unfortunately, television requires video and cameras are never allowed into Federal court cases. There's a little bit of video of the Supreme Court justices. Their confirmation hearings, presidential inaugurations and the rare "photo op" of the justices sitting together. Just enough video to cover, say, one-tenth of a television story.
I am sad to say a lack of video is often all it takes to prevent television from going out and doing the story.
In my own convoluted way (and much to my photographer’s chagrin), I figured if nobody else was looking at the judiciary, then there was a good chance we might find something interesting. With full disclosure, my father is a state judge in Maryland. Very different from the Federal judiciary, but still, I do tend to find myself surrounded by "lawyer talk." So, I thought it would be worth looking up the ages of Federal judges.
The rest, as they say, is history....
Many of the experts I interviewed for “Aging Justice” (Weds. March 18 on Fox 5 @ 10) say there have been at least five attempts since the 1950s to reform the Federal judiciary, but Congress never takes the bait. Currently, more than 30 legal experts, including Duke University’s Paul Carrington are circulating a letter claiming the time has come to try again. They are advocating multiple changes, including limiting a Supreme Court justice's term to 18 years.
So here's what I'm wondering: After you watch the story and poke around on the special website we created, what do you think? Has the time come for Congress to reform the Federal court system? Would it take a constitutional amendment? Is "age a state of mind" as the 101 year-old judge says in our story? Is there such a thing as "too old?" Or is the Federal judiciary just fine the way it is?
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Comments: 8Views: 767
Comments
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guysparkman, 8 months ago | FlagThere is not going to be any meaningfuljudicial reform until and unless the mainstreat print and broadcast media stops treating judges like sacred cows: Exempt from critcism or questing. www.outlaw judges.org -
beagle_buddy, 8 months ago | Flagoh quit your "gushing" thinking ...the only thing you learned that you couldn't have on your own is that Tompson's dad is a judge ...you rely on someone else keeping you conscientious of political /social developmen ts in our world do ya? -
justhinking, 8 months ago | FlagThis is such an important story - congratulations to Tisha Thompson and her news operation for doing it - especially in the Nation's Capital where the people who might do sometthing about it live.
I was stunned to find out about Chief Justice Renquist.
Thank you, thank you for keeping us informed on all these important topics. It looks like Tisha Thompson did a lot of work on that interactive material she posted. Thank you. I found it easy to look up the areas I was interested in.
I hope Fox Washingtonsends this to all of it's stations and it's network so more people can see this great journalism . -
beagle_buddy, 8 months ago | FlagWell medusa and 2611 …an abundance of the judiciary serves at the will of the voter …when’s the last time, or have you ever, looked into the judges you’re critical of and voted new blood to replace them ? …if voters fail to take advantage of their opportunity in the booth to cast a vote for replacing unacceptab le judges than that person has no case for pizzin’ and moanin’ …I wonder how much of the issues people take with the judicial system can be resolved by doing their work studying members of the judiciary that rely on voter acceptance ?… -
medusa, 8 months ago | FlagJudges as well as congressmen should be mandated to retire from service at a particular age. The fact that they are allowed to have a "cakewalk" by not holding up their fair share and yet receive full payment is not fair treatment. I do not believe in tenure becasue it protects lackluster performance. It is bad enough that bad decisions by judges permeate the caseloads and we rarely know of these situations unless it is reported about perpetrators released on bail when by all rights of common sense every one knows the crime demands containment. Why is it the judicial and government system allows the retaining of geriatrics that clearly in most walks of life are entering a time in their lives they are experiencing the beginnings of health problems? Congressional reform will never come about as that would open the door to their demise as well. Self preservation says that will never happen as they still protect their interest now.
In the interest of the nature and conducting an honorable court system we need to demand judicial reform . While I am all for the acknowledgement of seniors as valued memebrs of society I do not confuse my benevolent desire with the fact that critical life impacting decisions are made on the bench and this is a place where there is no room for senior empathy.
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