Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-04
Respect for the Court.

The Star has received the following
letter from one of its readers:
Reading the editorial 'Criticising the
Court the thought came 10 me tndt u
public respect for the judicial estdohsh
ment' is ever endangered II is much NOR re
decisions than from any individual CRU
cisms OF them. AS general propositio.s
loss Of public respect is consequence u
something for which the losers are theni,
selves responsible Would y NOT oe e we
for the judicial establishment TO exsI-
else a little care that decisions are
'srch as will command public respect III
spite Of individual criticism!
There Is no danger to the judicial es-
IA blishment or through il to the puphc
welfare in the strictly individual criti-
cisms of citizens. 1t is always 10 De
expected that every judicial decision VIII
he more or less criticised. For In the
nature OF things a court decision Is
onIv rendered when there is question OF
controversy, a difference Of opinion
between people, sometimes between great
erouns Of people. with each side sincerely
believing in the justice Of its contention.
No dictum of a court can entirely SATISFY
the doubt In the mind of the losing liti-
CANT Of the justice of such pronounce
judicial authority Is reached. when the
Supreme Court OF the United states
renders its decision upon q point AT ISSUE
that decision should be accepted as nnai'
especially when 1t turns upon the con-
struction Of the Constitution. for the
INTERPRETATION Of which the Supreme
Court of the United States has been In
large measure particularly created
Mr.. Roosevelt's criticism OF the Su-
nreme Court stands somewhat apart from
the case of an average individual citizen
who expresses a disagreement with the
rulings OF that body. In his capacity as
a former occupant Of the presidential Of
fee he possesses a much larger measure
Of prestige than that enjoyed by possibly
any other American citizen OF today But
temperament and disposition he Ii q
leader. and he is at present engaged In
appealing. somewhat excitedly, to the
public to arouse itself on questions OF
national polity. His criticism OF the
court ia therefore much more Significant,
more surely calculated to appeal to the
unreasoning disposition OF certain classes
TO disregard the law. than could possibly
be the outlying of any other individual.
He has uttered what is no less than an
indictment of the reliability OF the court
because he believes that the court has
erred In its Interpretation OF the law
and the Constitution in two instances.
The courts cannot safely ever consult
public opinion. A court that would seek
10 command public respect regardless Oh
the merits of the issues pending before II
would thereby justly incur the most Sc
we're criticism which could be directed
against II. The Stars correspondent
seems TO feel that the courts smart under
criticism. That is not the vital point
OF the question The serious need OF this
country is disposition on the part
Of the people to regard the members OF
the judiciary as honestly seeking the
spirit Of the laws and endeavoring 70
administer them in the interest OF the
public welfare. II our judges do not
measure up to such a standard the laws
proyide methods of impeachment. The
fact that these methods have been In
voked in only a very few cases since the
organization of the government Is fiir
nroof that the American courts deserve
TO be held In the highest respect, how
ever people may differ with their md
ings.