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Comment by throw16180339 | Hacker News Reader

Judge Lopez was appointed by Trump, so I'd assume that he's acting under instructions. Why would Trump have appointed a judge who wouldn't do favors for him?

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I hope you realize that he can't fire judges just because he appointed them.

I believe the implication isn’t that he’d be fired. Rather that doing the bidding of the far right (as instructed) was the deal he made to get the job. I look at it as payment for services rendered.

So what would be the consequences of not honoring these, "instructions"?

Oh, nothing?

There are absolutely social, political, and economic consequences. Those in the political class don’t exist in a separate bubble from each other. There are natural consequences for breaking from the party line, especially on the right, which demands complete fealty.

Natural consequences might be that the judge and their family no longer get to go to the yacht extravagant social gatherings, their kids may no longer have an in at their preferred university, or they may have even have the propaganda machine turned against them - potentially endangering them.

There are so many potential consequences that it’s not even worth trying to mention them all. These are all real threats that keep people in these types of positions aligned with the original intent for putting them there.

> These are all real threats

Real or hypothetical? Still don't see any evidence. FYI it is this kind of posting that goes nowhere, that helped re-elect Trump. People are tired of it and the gaslighting. Hope this helps.

I think maybe you’re running afoul of the same thing you’re accusing me of, which is being too vague. There are plenty of examples such as the lavish gifts given to SCOTUS justices with the expectation that they’ll behave the “right” way. Are you saying these things will still happen if the justice starts behaving counter to the party?

What I’m describing is not some abstract concept, it’s part of human society and I have no doubt you’ve experienced it yourself.

Firing isn't the worst possible consequence by a damn sight. Not all consequences need to work within some legal framework.

So the deal's "contract" is backed by honor then. Doesn't seem to make sense but I suppose it's possible. Is there any evidence that it is happening?

As I understand it, bankruptcy judges are not appointed by the president but rather by the relevant Court of Appeals. And they do not serve for life (because they aren’t Article III judges).

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