Leo: Scalia Said Good Judges Need Smarts, Originalism, and Moral Courage
Leonard Leo · Ep 80: Leonard Leo Knows How to Win and How to Save Our Country · Joe Lonsdale · Mar 8, 2024 · at 8:22
Leonard Leo, conservative legal strategist and Federalist Society leader, explains his core vetting criteria for judicial nominees to host Joe Lonsdale.
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“Oh, I think it's really just three ingredients. One is smarts. And I learned this actually from Justice Scalia, who told me once, you always want a really smart judge, and the reason why you want a really smart judge is because they can't get snookered by the left. Alright, so that was what he said. So always smarts. Two, you want someone who's philosophically aligned, right? Someone who understands that the Constitution needs to be interpreted as it's written. You need to be committed to the rule of law in that respect. And then finally, courage. You need someone who's going to not flinch in the face of criticism or risk you need people who are independent, courageous, determined, and are not going to bend to the political winds of the day.”
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