judicial nominations
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In 1787, the United States Constitution was ratified. The constitution is the embodiment of the founders' belief in the rule of law. The idea is that government and society can be regulated by law, not subjected to the whims of powerful but potentially capricious rulers. The constitution rests on the belief that no one in power should be above the law. Even the legislature should be bound to respect the principles and limitations contained in the "supreme law of the land." The subordination of government to law was seen by the Framers as a means of protecting the individual rights to life, liberty, and property.
In the constitution the Framers explicitly discuss the checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches of government but say much less about the judiciary. The president and the Senate are given the shared power to appoint federal judges, but these appointments are for life. Congress is given the power to establish lower federal courts and determine their jurisdiction; it may even regulate the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. But Congress is prohibited from reducing the salaries of sitting judges...