# Judge recusing based on wife's activities **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 5, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512 "2011-01-05T18:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/41 "2011-01-07T13:44:33Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t even know what you’re trying to say here. > > Your memory is faulty. And you seem to have missed the part where the Democrats had to choose from nominees selected by a largely independent commission. > > It’s certainly not a perfect system. It _is_ a good one. Just for comparison purposes, would you say the ABA (also an independent body) was generally conservative, generally liberal, or generally centrist? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/42 "2011-01-07T14:07:04Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > And you seem to have missed the part where the Democrats had to choose from nominees selected by a largely independent commission. So what. If the ABA is mainstream ideologically, their nominees will not all be dead center - they’ll span a spectrum. And a liberal governor will naturally chose from those on the left side of the spectrum. And that’s again even assuming that the ABA is not itself left of center. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/43 "2011-01-07T15:01:16Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just for comparison purposes, would you say the ABA (also an independent body) was generally conservative, generally liberal, or generally centrist? The ABA is generally liberal. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > So what. If the ABA is mainstream ideologically, their nominees will not all be dead center - they’ll span a spectrum. And a liberal governor will naturally chose from those on the left side of the spectrum. > > And that’s again even assuming that the ABA is not itself left of center. Actually, he might not. Florida governors historically made a point of selecting judges based on merit rather than ideology. In any event, I don’t know why you think the ABA is involved here. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/44 "2011-01-07T17:16:38Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Florida governors historically made a point of selecting judges based on merit rather than ideology. Cite? > [@](#): > > In any event, I don’t know why you think the ABA is involved here. Sorry, that should have been the FL BA. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/45 "2011-01-07T18:52:01Z")
Lord Hoffmann in the Pinochet[case.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5106101/Lord-Hoffmann-a-controversial-Law-Lord.html) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512/46 "2011-01-07T19:30:14Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Lord Hoffmann in the Pinochet[case.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5106101/Lord-Hoffmann-a-controversial-Law-Lord.html) But wasn’t it his involvement with the charitable company, not his wife’s work, that decided the problem? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512.md?page=2)