Senator Orrin Hatch has been in the Senate a long time. Some think too long. He has a good record. One thing I particularly like about Senator Hatch is that he asked Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman nominated to the Supreme Court to learn more about the U.S. Constitution.

He wanted her to listen to a series of lectures given by Constitutional Scholar and founder of The Freeman Institute, later renamed the National Center for Constitutional Studies, Cleon Skousen, now deceased. She didn’t want to. She was a lawyer, a former Arizona State legislator, and Superior Court Judge. She thought she knew the Constitution.

She relented to his pleading and listened to the series of cassette tapes (that was the preferred format in those days). She later gave the tapes back and thanked Senator Hatch saying something like “I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about our Constitution!”

I am concerned that most judges, lawyers, legislators, and yes, even Supreme Court Justices are in that same situation. They think they know, but they don’t know how much they don’t know. That’s why we need a U.S. President who will appoint Supreme Court Justices from the ranks of those who want to stand by the Constitution. If they only knew how much they didn’t know!

A course in the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison (the Father of the Constitution), and John Jay should be required by all judges period!! We didn’t even refer to that in law school.