How do US Supreme Court justices get appointed? - Peter Paccone

翻译人员: Haibing Luo 校对人员: Nova Upinel Altesse

There's a job out there with a great deal of power, pay, prestige,

有这么一份工作，它位高权重，薪水可观，工作保障几近完美。

and near-perfect job security.

And there's only one way to be hired:

获得这种工作的方式只有一个：成为美国最高法院的法官。

get appointed to the US Supreme Court.

If you want to become a justice on the Supreme Court,

如果你想成为美国最高法院——

the highest federal court in the United States,

美国联邦政府最高法院的法官，

three things have to happen.

必须满足三个条件：

You have to be nominated by the president of the United States,

得到美国总统的提名，

your nomination needs to be approved by the Senate,

参议院通过提名，

and finally, the president must formally appoint you to the court.

最后，总统的正式任命。

Because the Constitution doesn't specify any qualifications,

因为美国宪法没有对法官的资格有特定的要求，

in other words, that there's no age, education, profession,

就是说，没有年龄，教育，专业要求，

or even native-born citizenship requirement,

甚至不必出生在美国本土，

a president can nominate any individual to serve.

所以总统可以提名任何人。

So far, six justices have been foreign-born,

目前为止，有六位法官出生在国外，

at least one never graduated from high school,

至少一位没有高中毕业，

and another was only 32 years old when he joined the bench.

还有一位成为法官时年仅32岁。

Most presidents nominate individuals who broadly share their ideological view,

大多数总统会提名与自己持相同政见的人，

so a president with a liberal ideology

所以，如果总统是自由派的，

will tend to appoint liberals to the court.

他会提名自由派人士为法官。

Of course, a justice's leanings are not always so predictable.

当然，法官上任以后的做派也并不总是可以预测的。

For example, when President Eisenhower, a Republican,

例如，艾森豪威尔总统，一个共和党人士，

nominated Earl Warren for Chief Justice,

任命了厄尔·沃伦为大法官。

Eisenhower expected him to make conservative decisions.

艾森豪威尔总统期待他作风保守，

Instead, Warren's judgements have gone down as some of the most liberal

然而，沃伦却成为美国最高法院有史以来作风最自由的法官之一。

in the Court's history.

Eisenhower later remarked on that appointment

后来，艾森豪威尔评价那次人事任命为

as "the biggest damned-fool mistake" he ever made.

他曾经犯过的“最大最愚蠢的错误”。

Many other factors come up for consideration, as well,

提名最高法院法官时也会考虑其他因素，

including experience, personal loyalties, ethnicity, and gender.

例如经验，个人的忠诚度，种族以及性别。

The candidates are then thoroughly vetted

然后候选人要经过全面审查，

down to their tax records and payments to domestic help.

从报税纪录，到给家政人员的薪水都要审查。

Once the president interviews the candidate

总统与候选人面谈之后，会正式宣布提名他为候选人。

and makes a formal nomination announcement,

the Senate leadership traditionally turns the nomination over to hearings

按照传统，参议院领导会组织参议院司法委员会为候选人举行听证会。

by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Depending on the contentiousness of the choice,

根据参议院对这项提名的争议度，

that can stretch over many days.

听证会可能会持续很长时间。

Since the Nixon administration, these hearings have averaged 60 days.

自尼克松政府以来，听证会平均需要60天。

The nominee is interviewed about their law record, if applicable,

如果有司法经验的，参议员会根据候选人的司法经验，

and where they stand on key issues to discern how they might vote.

以及候选人在关键问题上的立场，进行投票。

And especially in more recent history,

尤其是在近几十年，

the committee tries to unearth any dark secrets or past indiscretions.

委员会会尽可能挖掘候选人的污点或过去不检点的行为。

The Judiciary Committee votes to send the nomination to the full Senate

司法委员会常基于其政治倾向，向参议院做出支持或反对的推荐，

with a positive or negative recommendation,

often reflective of political leanings, or no recommendation at all.

或者根本不做任何推荐。

Most rejections have happened when the Senate majority

多数做出反对推荐的，是因为多数参议员和现任总统党派不同。

has been a different political party than the president.

如果副总统打破平衡，多数参议员投票赞成，参议院会通过这些提名。

When the Senate does approve, it's by a simple majority vote,

with ties broken by the vice president.

With the Senate's consent,

参议院同意后，

the president issues a written appointment,

总统发表书面任命书，让候选人完成最后一步——宪法和司法宣誓。

allowing the nominee to complete the final steps

to take the constitutional and judicial oaths.

In doing so,

宣誓时，候选人庄严宣誓无私执法，

they solemnly swear to administer justice without respect to persons

无论贫富，公平对待所有人的权利，

and do equal right to the poor and the rich

and faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent

忠诚公正得执行美国最高法院一个法官所应尽的职责。

upon a US Supreme Court justice.

这份工作是终身制的，

This job is for life,

barring resignation, retirement, or removal from the court by impeachment.

除非自愿辞职，退休或者被法院弹劾。

And of the 112 justices who have held the position,

在112个历任法官中，

not one has yet been removed from office as a result of an impeachment.

还没出现过被单核出局的。

One of their roles is to protect the fundamental rights of all Americans,

法官职责之一是无论执政党是哪个，都要维护所有美国人的基本权利。

even as different parties take power.

With the tremendous impact of this responsibility,

因为该权利影响巨大，

it's no wonder that a US Supreme Court justice is expected to be,

难怪欧文·考夫曼说，美国最高法院的法官应该是

in the words of Irving R. Kaufman,

"a paragon of virtue,

“道德典范，智慧巨人，管理奇才。”

an intellectual Titan,

and an administrative wizard."

Of course, not every member of the Court turns out to be an exemplar of justice.

当然，也不是所有法官都会成为模范法官。

Each leaves behind a legacy of decisions and opinions

每个法官都会留下丰富遗产，做出无数决定和意见，

to be debated and dissected by the ultimate judges,

供后来的法官，时间和历史来争论剖析。

time and history.