NYC attorneys argue in favor of elected officials on the Supreme Court

While many may think nothing could be further apart than elected government officials and those appointed to wear Supreme Court robes, leaders in the legal profession recently said government officials might make good justices. St. John’s University law professor John Q. Barrett made the case for practical, as well as legal, experience for these justices at the New York County Lawyers Association Hughes Memorial Lecture Association’s 59th Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Lecture. Barrett, in his Oct. 15 speech titled "'Presidential Material' Should Be 'Supreme Court Material,' and Vice Versa," said it’s possible, sometimes preferable, for officials with government experience to make good justices. He said Charles Evans Hughes, a founder of Hughes Hubbard Reed, served as secretary of state and presidential candidate before serving with distinction as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Barrett, at the lecture in the Hughes Hubbard Reed offices at One Battery Park Plaza, said F