III. Polylogue

1. Read and translate the polylogue.

Mr. William Wilson, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, is the head of the group of American judges who are on a visit to Russia. They came to our city to get acquainted with the work of Russian judges. The Students’ Council of our Academy invited American guests to meet with our students.

Mr. Wilson: Hallo, friends and colleagues. I am glad to be invited to participate in this meeting, to exchange opinions on problems which can be of interest for us and to answer your questions, if you have some.

Oleg: Mr. Wilson, we are very glad to meet you. We are sure that this meeting will be useful for us. Will you tell us about yourself, where you studied and how you were promoted to such an honourable position of a member of the American Supreme Court?

Mr. Wilson: Well, I received my B.A. from Stanford University and the London School of Economics and my L.L.B. - from Yale Law School. I was in private practice in Trenton, New Jersey as well as in Nashville, Illinois. For fifteen years I was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. I have served in numerous positions connected with law during my career. I was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1992. President Bush nominated me to the Supreme Court and I took my seat on February 18, 1996.

Vera: Mr. Wilson, you say that it was the President who nominated you to the Supreme Court. What about district court judges? Who appoints them?

Mr. Wilson: Supreme Court justices as well as court of appeal judges and district court judges are nominated by the President, and his decision is confirmed by the United States Senate as stated in our Constitution. The names of potential nominees are often recommended by senators or sometimes members of the White House who are of the President’s political party.

Vera: To become a judge in Russia a potential candidate must meet certain requirements. I’d like to know, what qualifications for becoming a judge in the US are?

Mr. Wilson: You see, the Constitution sets forth no specific requirements. There are no exams to pass, no minimum age requirement, no stipulation that judges be native-born citizens or legal residents, no requirement that judges even have a law degree. However, members of Congress who typically recommend potential nominees, and the Department of Justice who review nominees’ qualifications have developed certain informal criteria: at least four vital factors determine who sits on the federal bench in America: professional competence, political qualifications, self-selection, and an element of luck.

Victor: Mr. Wilson, have you served as a district judge? I’d like to know, if it is necessary to pass all the levels of the court pyramid to achieve the highest position?

Mr. Wilson: Thank you, it’s a good question. You see, before assuming the federal bench, the majority of judges had been judges at the state or local level, but not all of them. The next largest block were employed in political or governmental activity or worked in law firms. Judges educational background reveals something of their elite nature. As for me, I belong to the second group. Friends, now it is my turn to ask questions. Are you ready for exchanging opinions?

Boris: Sure, we are. But let’s do it after a short coffee-break.