lightly passed over.

Precisely because of this, the political antecedents of the
justices of the Supreme Court are more apt to be discoverable in
their opinions than is the case in State courts. Professor
William G. Sumner, in referring to the change of character of the
Supreme Court by reason of Jackson's appointments to it, remarks
with some truth that "the effect of political appointments to the
bench is always traceable after two or three years in the
reports, which come to read like a collection of old stump
speeches."[Footnote: "Life of Andrew Jackson," 363.]

In States where the judges are only appointed for a certain term
of years, it is not unusual for the Governor, if he has the power
of nomination, to exercise it in favor of outgoing judges who are
his political opponents. So, also, if there happen to be several
original vacancies to fill, it is the traditional method in a few
States to give one of the places to a member of the opposition
party. If the election belongs to the legislature, a similar
practice prevails in some of the older States. In Connecticut
but six instances of refusing a re-election to judges of the
higher courts for mere party reasons have occurred for more than
a hundred years.[Footnote: Judges Baldwin, Goddard, Gould and
Trumbull were dropped in 1818 and 1819 as an incident of the
political revolution which destroyed the Federalist party in
Connecticut and brought about the adoption of a Constitution,
under which the judges were to hold for life, to replace the
royal charter. Judges Seymour and Waldo were dropped in 1863
during the Civil War, because they were classed with the "Peace
Democrats." Their successors, however, were appointed from the