# Obama on the Supreme Court? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 28, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930 "2016-10-28T14:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/41 "2016-10-29T05:37:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > If you mean a SCOTUS justice who was never a judge before, that would be Justice Kagan, appointed in 2010. If you mean a justice with no litigation experience, I think that might have been Justice Breyer… > [@CarnalK](#): > > Breyer was a judge on U.S. Court of Appeals (1st circuit) for 14 years. A Federal appeals judge is not a litigator. Looks like all of his legal work before taking the bench was as staff counsel and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/42 "2016-10-29T16:23:25Z")
While I have always felt that litigation is central to the practice and understanding of law… I recognize that’s my own parochial view. Most relevant to the work of a Supreme Court justice is a federal appellate court judge, followed by a state supreme court or state appellate court judge. Trial courts have to do messy things like find facts via testimony. ---
**Author:** ![GulfTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e79b87/32.png) [@GulfTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GulfTiger)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/43 "2016-10-29T16:24:41Z")
Hell no, we have enough lawyers on the SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/44 "2016-10-29T16:44:10Z")
Like me, Obama meets the Constitutional requirements for a Supreme Court justice. Above and beyond those minimum requirements, he would be a far better justice than I would, in that he’s made a formal study of law. And there are 1.22 million other individuals in the US who meet that standard. The only reason in favor of putting Obama on the Supreme Court is that it would be amusing to watch all of the right-wingers’ heads explode. And I’m not saying that that’s a bad reason. But there are still plenty of other individuals for whom there are better reasons. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/45 "2016-10-29T21:09:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Obama [has] made a formal study of law. And there are 1.22 million other individuals in the US who meet that standard. My gosh! What, it’s doubled in a couple of decades? I bare no grudge against anyone with one of these occupations, but can you imagine if a million of the smart people now working for investment banks, in health insurance accounting, and as attorneys at the bar were to shift and work as scientists and engineers? America could certainly get some of our jobs back!) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/46 "2016-10-29T21:26:14Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > C - He’s never sat on a bench before. Granted, he did teach constitutional law part-time for a bit, but there’s hundreds more qualified candidates. Depends how you judge someone to be “qualified”. Know who practiced law, served in numerous senior government positions, _ **and** _ was also a federal judge? Clarence Thomas. Do you think he’s “qualified” – or, put it this way, who do you think would make more insightful, reasoned judgments, Thomas or Obama? Anyway, ain’t gonna happen. At this point I’d just be happy to see Hillary eke out a narrow victory. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930/47 "2016-10-29T22:10:33Z")
Clinton nominated Kagan to be a fed judge but they never voted up or down on her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-on-the-supreme-court/769930.md?page=2)