The passing of William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall and now William J. Brennan, three giants of American jurisprudence whose work did so much to protect the welfare of the people against our plutocracy, evinces the devolution of leadership to mediocrity in the Supreme Court. On many fronts, the present court seems determined to reverse the good done by its predecessors in the last 50 years.
This is comparable to what has happened to the presidency in this century: from Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the promise of John F. Kennedy down to Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton. The latter three also have worked to reverse the good done by the New and Fair Deals and the civil rights movement.
As to the Supreme Court, it has been suggested that money could be saved by retiring Clarence Thomas and giving Antonin Scalia two votes.
