The Lobbyist Justice
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Kennedy joined a San Francisco law firm, but he returned to
Sacramento in 1963, when his father died, to take over his father's
practice. Despite his inexperience, many of his father's clients
remained with the firm while Kennedy honed his legal and political
skills. He socialized with politicians, entertained clients with lavish
parties, and made large donations to state politicians on his own and
his clients' behalf. During this period he met Ed Meese, a fellow
lobbyist, and they became close friends. Meese later went to work for
California Governor Ronald Reagan, and in 1973 he brought Kennedy on
board to help draft a ballot initiative to cut taxes and government
spending. Kennedy impressed Reagan, who recommended him to President
Gerald Ford for a vacancy on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/future/robes_kennedy.html
Is the fact that the author of Citizens United is a former lobbyist well known by those who report and discuss the opinion? Personally, unlike let's say comments about Ginsburg's career promoting women's rights or even Thomas' life story with his grandfather or something, I basically never see it mentioned. That seems a bit off.
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Couldn't question the legitimacy of the decider. That might call the legitimacy of the court itself into question. Couldn't have that. People might even realize that political results have something to do with the court's results.
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Well, I wouldn't go as far as to make him illegitimate though I'm sure some here will. It just seems -- like Ginsburg's past advocacy -- relevant enough to be notable.
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I do see some qualitative distinction between a career spent promoting universal human rights and one spent shilling for corporations, but he's certainly no less legitimate than most of the people populating the elected branches of government.
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