Federal judges are ‘guardedly apolitical’

One of the privileges of my former position with the federal judicial branch was attending periodic meetings of a small, distinguished group of federal judges, chaired by the chief justice of the United States, who governed our agency. On our way to the meetings, the judges and staff participants were escorted through the back corridors of the court, away from the public areas, to rooms that the public usually doesn’t see.

One morning as we navigated the marble hallways, I was — as usual — geeked out by the grandeur of the court and thinking “Wow, this is so cool!” when I caught myself, not wanting to seem star struck in front of the veteran judges in our group. Just then, one of the judges, a tough-as-nails former Marine with a reputation for commanding his courtroom, sidled up next to meandsaid: “You know, I can’t help myself, but every time I walk through this place I get just a little shiver! It’s just so neat to be here!”

To the judges and employees of the federal judiciary, terms like “justice” and “rule of law” aren’t just words, they are a mission — defining principles of our system of government that they have been entrusted to preserve under the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution gives federal judges the dual protections of lifetime appointment and no diminution of their salaries. In return, judges are expected to put politics aside and decide each case fairly and under the law.

I like to think that every time a federal judge — including a Supreme Court justice — enters the court building with its inscription of “Equal Justice Under Law” over the threshold, they still get that chill of being part of something transcendent, more important than any political party or point of view.