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There are very clear hierarchies in Congress (Speaker/Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Committee Chairs) and White House (President, Vice President, Cabinet). Th

by sidlls 7y ago

There are very clear hierarchies in Congress (Speaker/Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Committee Chairs) and White House (President, Vice President, Cabinet). There is no power structure in SCOTUS: each of the justices is equal and has nobody to answer to. There are likely shadow organizations in the Congress and White House with their own (unpublished) hierarchy, but probably not in the SCOTUS due to its size and the implicit potency inherent in being a Justice.

papln 7y ago
SCOTUS is a nearly-pure democracy. Every issue of substance is put to a vote, and everyone has freedom to act individually in anything not put to vote, along with ample funding for their desires (law clerks for work, and indivual pay for personal perks). (Namely, Q&A in session, and what they write in their opinions.) Their scope of power is sufficiently limited that favor-trading isn't very important. All that remains are the minor traditional formalities of when and where they meet and how they dress. When your group grows beyond 9 people, that gets harder.
- pmyteh 7y ago
  The internal politics are still interesting, though. "The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court" by Woodward and Armstrong looked (amongst other things) at why Nixon's new Chief Justice Warren Burger seemed unable to push the court in a more consistently conservative direction despite more conservative membership. Part of the conclusion was that he just wasn't that great at playing the internal political games required to stay in control. Incidentally, the main source for that book was eventually revealed as one of the other Justices, Potter Stewart. It's a fascinating read.
howard941 7y ago
Although Justices need not answer to anyone at all with perhaps the exception of defending themselves in their impeachment proceeding, the Chief does have some powers and duties, implicit ones such as designating authorship of a majority opinion when in the majority, and explicit ones such as administratively leading all of the Article II and III courts. The aclu's page is evenhanded and may be of interest. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speakeasy/role-chief-justice https://www.aclu.org/blog/speakeasy/role-chief-justice

by sidlls 7y ago

papln 7y ago

SCOTUS is a nearly-pure democracy. Every issue of substance is put to a vote, and everyone has freedom to act individually in anything not put to vote, along with ample funding for their desires (law clerks for work, and indivual pay for personal perks). (Namely, Q&A in session, and what they write in their opinions.) Their scope of power is sufficiently limited that favor-trading isn't very important. All that remains are the minor traditional formalities of when and where they meet and how they dress. When your group grows beyond 9 people, that gets harder.

pmyteh 7y ago
The internal politics are still interesting, though. "The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court" by Woodward and Armstrong looked (amongst other things) at why Nixon's new Chief Justice Warren Burger seemed unable to push the court in a more consistently conservative direction despite more conservative membership. Part of the conclusion was that he just wasn't that great at playing the internal political games required to stay in control. Incidentally, the main source for that book was eventually revealed as one of the other Justices, Potter Stewart. It's a fascinating read.

howard941 7y ago

Although Justices need not answer to anyone at all with perhaps the exception of defending themselves in their impeachment proceeding, the Chief does have some powers and duties, implicit ones such as designating authorship of a majority opinion when in the majority, and explicit ones such as administratively leading all of the Article II and III courts. The aclu's page is evenhanded and may be of interest. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speakeasy/role-chief-justice https://www.aclu.org/blog/speakeasy/role-chief-justice