Senator John Cornyn has a very good argument, in his NRO piece today, that the press has facilitated the result-orientation that afflicts our current debates over judicial nominations. I would add that some of the blame belongs to judges themselves, who have failed to detach themselves from such an orientation far too often. If they have politicized their judicial behavior, it is no surprise (even if it is no excuse) if reporters and interest groups follow suit.

And I don’t think I can agree that the way toward “an honest depiction of the judicial process” is to “televise court proceedings,” as the senator suggests. So far as I can tell as a political scientist, C-SPAN has not increased public understanding of how Congress works to any appreciable degree.