Picking Judges Online

The Framers clearly intended to keep a "constitutional distance" between the people and the selection of judges, but that distance has badly eroded since 1787. Not only are Senators now directly elected, removing some of the insulation between the people and the confirmation process, but several modern extra-constitutional innovations-such as opinion polling and broadcast media-have further shrunk the gap between the judiciary and the people.

New Atlantis Summer 2005