I could not agree more with Adina Amith's commentary ("Ginsburg's right not to remain silent," July 20) about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's criticisms of Donald Trump. Justice Ginsburg should be allowed to speak out. To say that judges, whether on the Supreme Court or the Circuit Court of Baltimore City, are apolitical is to ignore reality.
Think about it. We constantly talk about a "litmus test" to see what sort of a justice one will become whenever a candidate comes up for nomination to the high court. Politics swirled about the most recent nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, and still gets brought up any time a presidential candidate discusses potential nominations. It seems silly that we can make our own political demands on judges, yet they must never show a hint of ideology. Judges are real people who, hopefully, live in the same world that we do. So why can't we see a sign of life every now and again?
The terms judicial "activist" or "strict constructionalist" are merely code words for liberal and conservative. Also, judges are not-so-quietly backed by elected officials to get into office, and we look the other way. Heck, the city sitting judges had legislators working the polls for them. What does that say? Justice Ginsburg is a tenured woman of immense intellect and respect. She should be able to speak her mind on important matters like her opinion of Mr. Trump. I'd like to know what Justice Clarence Thomas thinks, too.
Todd Oppenheim, Baltimore