Annual Hallows Lecture by Hon. Albert Diaz

Description

LIFE TENURE ON THE BENCH: VIRTUE OR VICE?
PRESENTED BY HON. ALBERT DIAZ, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

As the 2016 presidential election campaign sizzles, a hot topic (and easy target) is the judiciary. Whether debating the appropriateness of litmus tests for judicial nominees, the breadth of judicial power, or the perceived lack of accountability of the "least powerful" branch, the candidates and the pundits have much to say. One question in particular generates ample fodder across the political spectrum: How long should a judge serve? At one end are those who decry the lack of independence allegedly wrought by big-money judicial election campaigns. At the other: those who chafe under what they view as unchecked judicial power.