Short Title: Prohibit Appointed Judges From Cases Involving Their Appointer

Long Title: Urge Congress to pass a law prohibiting appointed justices from participating in cases involving the person who appointed them.

Why this petition matters:

·         Allowing appointed judges to rule over their appointers creates a conflict of interest.

·         Appointment to a judgeship confers tremendous power and financial reward upon that judge. Appointed judges will understandably feel a debt of gratitude toward their appointing politician.

·         Ideally, the political leader making the appointment should choose the most qualified applicant who will best serve the people under their jurisdiction.

·         However, if that judge could one day rule in a case involving the appointing politician, an incentive exists for a disreputable appointer to pressure their appointees to rule in their favor and to select judges in advance who first promise to protect them.

·         This simple law would remove that incentive and reduce the likelihood that judges will be selected based on promises of protection to the appointer. It will also preclude the impression of favoritism from judges to their appointer by forcing recusal from such cases.

·         This law will also be a significant step toward improving popular trust in the judicial system.

·         There is no shortage of appointed justices to cover cases involving appointing officials, so there is no administrative need to oppose this law.

·         While this law seems simple and obvious, its effect in strengthening the U.S. Judicial System against corruption, and the impression of corruption, would be profound.