Judicial independence safeguards do not insulate judges from the political environment.

Evidence

According to “Mr. Dooley,” a political commentator of the early twentieth century, “The judges follow the election returns.”*° Dooley’s remark exaggerates the influence of immediate political factors on judicial decisions, but it points to an important truth: The legal safeguards of judicial independence do not altogether shield judges from the pollitical environment. Like everyone else, judges follow the news and are aware of societal developments and trends in public opinion, including reactions to their decisions. While one would not expect judges to tailor their rulings to conform to public opinion, the political environment may nonetheless influence judicial decision making. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2578

Categorization

• XREF: Directly qualifies the textbook’s own account of judicial independence elsewhere; good exam-contrast material.
• CANDY: ‘The judges follow the election returns’ is a tweetable one-liner about the reality of judicial politics.