Tennessee Law Professor Benjamin Barton recently published a study examining the professional experience of every Supreme Court justice in American history. His study shows that the current justices’ resumes are quite different than those of past justices — “Roberts Court Justices have spent more pre-appointment time in legal academia, appellate judging, and living in Washington, D.C. than any previous Supreme Court.” The most striking thing of all about Barton’s study, however, is this chart:
Significantly, the Supreme Court handed down its election-buying decision in Citizens United v. FEC just a few short years after the last elected official to serve on the Court retired. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a former Arizona state senator and the last justice to have personal experience with how money can corrupt the political process, supported campaign finance regulation.
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