Letters

Re “Obama calls empathy key to Supreme Court pick,” May 2

Empathy is just about the last thing a Supreme Court justice needs, having no place in the application of jurisprudence. Justice must be blind, impartial, unemotional and detached from partisanship of any kind. That our president ranks empathy -- “the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts or attitudes of another” -- at the top of his list of qualifications for Supreme Court justice guarantees he will make a horrid selection to replace David H. Souter.

Jerry Pomeroy

Sun City

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A Supreme Court justice is supposed to make decisions in light of our highest legal standard, the Constitution. A justice is not supposed to make up what is in the Constitution. If there is not a lawful, objective standard that justices surrender themselves to, then justice becomes whatever they want it to be. And when people differ as to what justice is, then the question can only be decided by whoever has the most power.

This leads -- sooner or later -- to totalitarianism. One person’s compassion leads to another’s oppression.

Kevin Aldrich

Woodland Hills

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Please, Mr. President, choose wisely when making your nomination.

Take heed when Justice Souter says that when he thinks of Bush vs. Gore, he weeps.

He weeps, and we all weep. That decision was not based on law but on political considerations. We weep for eight years of our lives in which we are now faced with record deficits, recessions, the trampling of civil rights and a dreadful war.

Please, Mr. President, choose wisely, as it is time to make the court responsible again. It is time to make us proud of the court again. It is time for us to weep no more.

Stephen R. Hariton

Westlake Village

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I would like to see Michelle Obama nominated.

As a successful lawyer, mother and wife with copious amounts of intellect and common sense, she would make a fine Supreme Court justice.

And given the scrutiny she received during this presidential campaign, she should be able to sail through any confirmation hearings.

Ric Wolf

Greenwich, Conn.