The Supreme Court: The Mediocrity Factor

Judge G. Harrold Carswell and his defenders, in responding to the most provocative attacks made on him, insist that he is no racist. Even granting him the point, is that negative credential sufficient qualification for serving on the U.S. Supreme Court? While much of the argument over Carswell's nomination has centered on his questionable civil rights record, an increasing number of legal scholars and Senators are asking whether he has the kind of legal mind that would enhance the nation's highest court.

As they dig into his background, the critics are finding the...