Audio - O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts

"Newly retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor took on conservative Republican critics of the courts in a speech Thursday. She told an audience at Georgetown University that Republican proposals, and their sometimes uncivil tone, pose a danger to the independence of the judiciary, and the freedoms of all Americans."

Unfortunately we don't get to hear O'Conner herself, but this is an audio of an NPR reporter who was there.

O'Conner warns that political interference with the court by Congress could result in a slide to dictatorship, if they make judicial reforms based on retaliation for what politicians view to be bad decisions. It's a very short report, just over 3 minutes, but we can only hope that a majority of current justices feel the same way.

Here's another site with the embedded audio, as well as the transcript: O'Conner