# Both Thomas and Kagan face pressure to recuse

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/both-thomas-and-kagan-face-pressure-to-recuse/603077>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [November 16, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/both-thomas-and-kagan-face-pressure-to-recuse/603077 "2011-11-16T00:32:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 11

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/both-thomas-and-kagan-face-pressure-to-recuse/603077/201 "2011-11-23T22:00:53Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> OK. You were responding to MY post which mentioned both experience and connections, but yes, I agree you mentioned only experience.
> 
> But my point still stands. The job of executive director of the ACLU would absolutely involve somene who had cultivated connections _as part of her experience_. And it flies in the face of common sense to imagine that the board of the ACLU offered Ms. Ripston the job of executive director without knowledge and consideration of her connections. You know it, I know it, and everyone reading this post knows it. If you want to claim it didn’t happen that way, you’re making an extraordinary claim, and you need to provide some evidence that her job was handled in a way different than every similar top executive job for a legal and political advocacy group.

Nope, I’m not making a claim. I’m stating that I don’t believe that your claim is accurate. If you can’t back up your claim, just admit it and let’s move on.

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/both-thomas-and-kagan-face-pressure-to-recuse/603077/202 "2011-11-24T06:04:33Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> …The Supreme Court has only nine members, and no superior court to save them. They cannot be held to the same standard as every other judge.
> 
> This is not to say they should not be held to SOME standard. But their position is unique; their standard must be unique as well.

True, there is no court above SCOTUS. Would a law saying that if a Justice recuses himself she’ll be replaced for that case by one of the circut appeals judges drawn at random be constitutional?

> [@Terr](#):
>
> No current female SC justice is married.

Ginsburg was until last year when her husband died. Sandra Day O’Connor was married the entire time she was on the Supreme Court.

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