In Praise of Independent Judges, from Learned Hand to Richard J. Leon

In the American way of government, it often takes an independent-minded judge to tell truth to power. That’s the way the system works. The executive branch is almost always dominated by the exigencies of the day; the legislature—on matters of national security, especially—is often supine. Thanks to the Founding Fathers, federal judges are empowered with the job security and the leeway to think for themselves. And on occasion, thank the Lord, some of them exercise these freedoms.

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