wedrifid comments on Amanda Knox: post mortem - Less Wrong

23 Post author: gwern 20 October 2011 04:10PM

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Comment author: wedrifid 21 October 2011 03:29:52AM 2 points [-]

Apparently the last United States Supreme Court Justice without a law qualification was Robert H. Jackson - although he passed the bar exam without official training and was a prominent practicing lawyer. I haven't found the last time someone was appointed to that role without passing the bar but research so far does seem to suggest it is an entirely political position, without qualifications required.

Comment author: Jack 21 October 2011 03:37:58AM *  0 points [-]

They've all been lawyers, it's just not an official requirement.

Comment author: pedanterrific 21 October 2011 03:41:15AM 0 points [-]

Presumably for the same reason there's technically no official requirement that they be human, either.

Comment author: wedrifid 21 October 2011 05:42:49AM *  4 points [-]

That is, those with the power to appoint such judges would look like tools if they voted in non-lawyers or non-humans so they will not do either.

(It occurs to me there is a mutual exclusion joke in there somewhere.)