--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think there should be a litmus…" description: "\"I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no matter who the president is.\" — Mitch McConnell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg" --- # I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no… ![“I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no matter who the president is.” quote by Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg) > “I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no matter who the president is.” [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Judges should be evaluated on merit, not political affiliation, to preserve impartiality. **In simple terms:** Judge evaluation should be merit‑based. Key Takeaway Insist on fair, non‑political judicial assessments. Themes justice politics integrity Mood cautious reflective Type analytical policy When to use this quote - court nominations - legislative hearings - public trust - legal reforms Key Concepts meritocracy judicial independence Questions to Reflect On - How can we safeguard judicial independence? - What mechanisms ensure merit‑based appointments? A Different Perspective Political pressures can still bias perceptions of judges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Judges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judges/) [Judges Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judges-matter-2985727/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-president-4050869/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test/) [Test Judges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test-judges-4225823/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [The Supreme Court's non-transparent attitude on the disclosure of assets is in line with the judiciary's steadfast refusal to allow any transparency in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/the-supreme-court-s-non-transparent-attitude-on-the-disclosure-of/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) > [I think that the world will continue trying to grapple with the climate problem, no matter who is U.S. president. But I think that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mooney/i-think-that-the-world-will-continue-trying-to-grapple-with-the/) [Chris Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mooney/) > [Words matter when you run for president. And they really matter when you are president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/words-matter-when-you-run-for-president-and-they-really-matter-when/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [There's something funny about the idea that when you're poor it doesn't matter who's president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/there-s-something-funny-about-the-idea-that-when-you-re-poor-it-doesn/) [Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/) > [“Anybody who thinks that 'it doesn't matter who's President' has never been Drafted and sent off to fight and die in a vicious, stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/anybody-who-thinks-that-it-doesn-t-matter-who-s-president-has-never/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [When you have bacon in your mouth, it doesn't matter who's president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/when-you-have-bacon-in-your-mouth-it-doesn-t-matter-who-s-president/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [The Task Force didn't produce any earth-shattering findings but it suggests that this matter is on the president's radar screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-malveaux/the-task-force-didn-t-produce-any-earth-shattering-findings-but-it/) [Julianne Malveaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-malveaux/) > [Being with the president’s daughter, no matter who the president is, you are connected to the most powerful political force on earth, and that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/being-with-the-president-s-daughter-no-matter-who-the-president-is/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I am grateful that I live in a nation where most believe that one's punishment should fit their wrongdoing and that ours is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/i-am-grateful-that-i-live-in-a-nation-where-most-believe-that-one-s/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [As any opera fan knows, lawyers and judges do not fare well in most operas. Just consider the productions of 'Andrea Chenier,' 'Aida, Norma,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/as-any-opera-fan-knows-lawyers-and-judges-do-not-fare-well-in-most/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [If people are stealing the resources of this nation, if people are taking bribes - if judges or persons in authority, whether they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/if-people-are-stealing-the-resources-of-this-nation-if-people-are/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/judicial-abuse-occurs-when-judges-substitute-their-own-political/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) > [Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-black/our-constitution-was-not-written-in-the-sands-to-be-washed-away-by/) [Hugo Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-black/) > [Those who made and endorsed our Constitution knew man's nature, and it is to their ideas, rather than to the temptations of utopia, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/those-who-made-and-endorsed-our-constitution-knew-man-s-nature-and-it/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) ## More by Mitch McConnell > [When you hang the 'bipartisan' tag on something, the perception is that differences have been worked out, and there's a broad agreement that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/when-you-hang-the-bipartisan-tag-on-something-the-perception-is-that/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [No matter how unusual a personality may be who gets elected to office, there are constraints in this country. You don't get to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/no-matter-how-unusual-a-personality-may-be-who-gets-elected-to-office/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I'm optimistic that none of my members in the end want to be responsible for the status quo on Obamacare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-m-optimistic-that-none-of-my-members-in-the-end-want-to-be/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [America's a land of second opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/america-s-a-land-of-second-opportunities/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [To call this a recovery is an insult to recoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/to-call-this-a-recovery-is-an-insult-to-recoveries/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-believe-that-marriage-should-be-between-one-man-and-one-woman/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I'm really proud of this Supreme Court and the way they've been dealing with the issue of First Amendment political speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-m-really-proud-of-this-supreme-court-and-the-way-they-ve-been/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I think it is to the advantage of my state to have the opportunity to come to meetings occasionally and to vote in person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-think-it-is-to-the-advantage-of-my-state-to-have-the-opportunity-to/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [It is time for a leader who will lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/it-is-time-for-a-leader-who-will-lead/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [On the issue of Iraq, it is my hope, and my challenge to my colleagues, that our debate will be based on what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/on-the-issue-of-iraq-it-is-my-hope-and-my-challenge-to-my-colleagues/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [Eventually, Americans would be stuck with government-run health care whether they like it or not. That's when the worst scenario would take shape, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/eventually-americans-would-be-stuck-with-government-run-health-care/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [Our nation has a regrettable history of drawing down our forces and readiness after each conflict, only to find ourselve ill-prepared for the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/our-nation-has-a-regrettable-history-of-drawing-down-our-forces-and/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [As President Obama reminded us, we're all on one team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/as-president-obama-reminded-us-we-re-all-on-one-team/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [The Frist fairness rule guarantees up-or-down votes for every circuit court or Supreme Court nomination, regardless of which party controls the Senate or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/the-frist-fairness-rule-guarantees-up-or-down-votes-for-every-circuit/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I always think a debt ceiling is a good tool to carry something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-always-think-a-debt-ceiling-is-a-good-tool-to-carry-something/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) [Explore all 182 Mitch McConnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) ## More Judges quotes > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [Those who made and endorsed our Constitution knew man's nature, and it is to their ideas, rather than to the temptations of utopia, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/those-who-made-and-endorsed-our-constitution-knew-man-s-nature-and-it/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-black/our-constitution-was-not-written-in-the-sands-to-be-washed-away-by/) [Hugo Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-black/) > [Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/judicial-abuse-occurs-when-judges-substitute-their-own-political/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) > [If people are stealing the resources of this nation, if people are taking bribes - if judges or persons in authority, whether they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/if-people-are-stealing-the-resources-of-this-nation-if-people-are/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [As any opera fan knows, lawyers and judges do not fare well in most operas. Just consider the productions of 'Andrea Chenier,' 'Aida, Norma,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/as-any-opera-fan-knows-lawyers-and-judges-do-not-fare-well-in-most/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [I am grateful that I live in a nation where most believe that one's punishment should fit their wrongdoing and that ours is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/i-am-grateful-that-i-live-in-a-nation-where-most-believe-that-one-s/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/just-as-the-common-law-derives-from-ancient-precedents-judges/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [As I have consistently recommended, we desperately need to find more black judges, particularly females, who are chronically underrepresented in our courts across London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/as-i-have-consistently-recommended-we-desperately-need-to-find-more/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [Most of us tend to be swayed by what we read. Judges are not superhuman. They, too, are mortals. This is why they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/most-of-us-tend-to-be-swayed-by-what-we-read-judges-are-not/) [Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/) > [If you've ever noticed, beauty pageants are a lot like county fairs. The farmers show the cows the same way. They walk their prized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-argov/if-you-ve-ever-noticed-beauty-pageants-are-a-lot-like-county-fairs/) [Sherry Argov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-argov/) > [I like to fight forward and do not leave it to the judges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-luque/i-like-to-fight-forward-and-do-not-leave-it-to-the-judges/) [Vicente Luque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-luque/) > [It turns out umpires and judges are not robots or traffic cameras, inertly monitoring deviations from a fixed zone of the permissible. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/it-turns-out-umpires-and-judges-are-not-robots-or-traffic-cameras/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [No one ever judges their own self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolk/no-one-ever-judges-their-own-self/) [James Wolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolk/) > [I think the four major leagues ought to set up a joint commission - say, of retired judges - to rule on athletes who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-the-four-major-leagues-ought-to-set-up-a-joint-commission-say/) [Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/) [Browse all 422 Judges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no matter who the president is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch McConnell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-test-on-judges-no-matter-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Judges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-test-on-judges-no-matter-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mitch-mcconnell-2153_judges_i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-t_1293987.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think there should be a litmus test on judges, no matter who the president is.” — Mitch McConnell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mitch McConnell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't think there should be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-test-on-judges-no-matter-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-don-t-think-there-should-be-a-litmus-test-on-judges-no-matter-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```