Thomas says high court needs geographic diversity.........

[chloe]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says the nation's highest court would benefit from more geographic diversity among its justices and should hold some sessions outside of Washington, D.C.

Thomas, a Georgia native who has worked in Washington, D.C., since 1993, said the court would benefit from a more balanced geographical mix that "reflects the fact this is a big country, not just the Northeast."

"There's nobody from the Heartland," said Thomas, who visits Nebraska periodically because his wife's family is from the state.

Six of the nine justices have strong ties to Boston, New York and central New Jersey. Chief Justice John Roberts is a Midwesterner raised in Indiana, but he went to college and law school at Harvard and has spent his entire professional life in Washington. Four justices were born or raised in New York City _ Brooklyn-born Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Antonin Scalia, raised in Queens; Bronx native Sonia Sotomayor; and Elena Kagan, who is from Manhattan.

Thomas also told the Nebraska law students that it would be a good idea for the justices to occasionally hold sessions outside of Washington.
"I think it would serve us all to move around the country," Thomas said.

A University of Southern California law professor, Lee Epstein, has begun to look at whether there's any correlation between geography and voting patterns in Supreme Court cases. Her research is at a preliminary stage.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=157&sid=17275845

That might not be a bad idea.

[Gaffer]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=157&sid=17275845

That might not be a bad idea.

Thomas is one of the smartest of the Supreme Court judges and always makes sense. And he's dead on about the judges all being from the east coast or educated and worked there most of their lives. We need some common sense people on the court, which the east coast is sadly lacking.

[chloe]

Thomas is one of the smartest of the Supreme Court judges and always makes sense. And he's dead on about the judges all being from the east coast or educated and worked there most of their lives. We need some common sense people on the court, which the east coast is sadly lacking.

Yeah I took 3 roadtrips across the country this year and it makes a HUGE difference just being in other states then where I currently reside different experiences and ways of being for sure.

It's a good way to get more connected to people.

[ConHog]

Thomas is one of the smartest of the Supreme Court judges and always makes sense. And he's dead on about the judges all being from the east coast or educated and worked there most of their lives. We need some common sense people on the court, which the east coast is sadly lacking.

I disagree with him on the Court being in session in other places though. Seems like a waste of money to travel the SCOTUS around.

[Gaffer]

Yeah I took 3 roadtrips across the country this year and it makes a HUGE difference just being in other states then where I currently reside different experiences and ways of being for sure.

It's a good way to get more connected to people.

Yep. You can see all the differences in people. The east coast elites need to go see the rest of the country.

[Poke]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=157&sid=17275845

That might not be a bad idea.

Mean old message board,

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to chloe again.

The point made by the writer is very interesting, the northeast is highly over-represented as compared to the rest of the country.
I'm too lazy to look up the statistics of past Justice's geographic backgrounds.