I'm also interested in what people's views are on the subject Jon has reintroduced. I got a good education on it last week, courtesy of Jon
and others, and didn't like what I learned.
I also wonder whether — given how the Internet has made the work of individual lawyers and judges so readily accessible in modern times — it really makes sense anymore to presume that senators have special insight regarding the legal community in their states. Certainly, they have special insight into the party politics of their states. But if judge selection should be more about merit and less about patronage, that would seem to argue pretty strongly against blue slips.
