Janice Rogers Brown has announced she will leave her seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The news saddens JLF’s Jon Guze, but he remains hopeful that the libertarian views expressed by this principled jurist will be seen in her replacement.
Since her appointment, Judge Brown’s libertarian views have often put her at odds with the Supreme Court’s many decidedly un-libertarian doctrines. When that happens, she acknowledges the Supreme Court’s authority over lower courts, including hers, and she makes her decisions accordingly. However, when she thinks the Supreme Court is wrong, she doesn’t hesitate to criticize it, usually by writing a forcefully worded concurring opinion.
The entire piece on Janice Rogers Brown is worth your time.