The biggest result of this will be a more polarized judiciary. For years, both parties have mostly made consensus appointees - people who were generally on their side but not totally offensive to the opposition. That's going to change in situations in which one party has the White House and the Senate. Democrats will have no reason to appoint anything but the most hardcore liberals they can find, and the reverse will also be true.
Frankly, if you're a social conservative, you should like this, because you've always been the first to get hosed on judicial picks. When the GOP made compromise appointments, it was always on the social agenda. They would appoint a pro-business, social moderate (Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, etc.). When Democrats made compromise picks, they did the reverse by appointing a social liberal who was pro-business (Stephen Breyer and to a point, even Ruth Bader Ginsberg). You'd never see a socially conservative but business-skeptic judge from either party.
With this change, GOP presidents with a Senate majority will no longer have any reason to compromise. If Charles Schumer or Pat Leahy think the GOP nominee is "too extreme" (meaning socially conservative) if the GOP has 51 votes, they can tell them both to **** off. Of course, Democrats won't appoint a social conservative or moderate to the bench, but they never did that anyway.
Frankly, if you're a social conservative, you should like this, because you've always been the first to get hosed on judicial picks. When the GOP made compromise appointments, it was always on the social agenda. They would appoint a pro-business, social moderate (Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, etc.). When Democrats made compromise picks, they did the reverse by appointing a social liberal who was pro-business (Stephen Breyer and to a point, even Ruth Bader Ginsberg). You'd never see a socially conservative but business-skeptic judge from either party.
With this change, GOP presidents with a Senate majority will no longer have any reason to compromise. If Charles Schumer or Pat Leahy think the GOP nominee is "too extreme" (meaning socially conservative) if the GOP has 51 votes, they can tell them both to **** off. Of course, Democrats won't appoint a social conservative or moderate to the bench, but they never did that anyway.
