Sandra Day O'Connor Speaking Out on the Rise of Dictatorship

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor let 'er rip in a speech at Georgetown University. O'Connor evidently did not allow the recording of her speech, but as paraphrased by Nina Totenberg on National Public Radio, she said, "I am against judicial reforms driven by nakedly partisan reasoning. Pointing to the experiences of developing countries and formerly Communist countries, where interference with an independent judiciary has allowed dictatorship to flourish, O'Connor said we must be ever vigilant against those who would strong-arm the judiciary into adopting their preferred policies. It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, she said, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings."

She singled out -- without naming -- both Tom DeLay and Sen. John Cornyn for intemperate remarks both made about "unelected judges."