It is hard to get a representative group under those constraints.

I'm not sure the Supreme Court needs to be a true portrait of the American people. I want them to be sound and fair jurists. I do support more diversity on the Court and definitely no more Catholics!

Like Scalia and Thomas? I think we could and should do better. Even moreso since these people get life appointments.

You know they will be on the Court until they croak in their seats.

Do all blacks agree with Clarance Thomas? No. Do all Hispanics agree with Sotomayor? No. Do all women agree with Ginsberg and Kagan? No. Do all men agree with Roberts, Scalia, and Alito? No.

You will never get a representation that everyone would be happy with. You need to break away from the idea that all men vote one way and all women vote another way and all blacks vote together a different way. A democracy is never that simple.

"You will never get a representation that everyone would be happy with. You need to break away from the idea that all men vote one way and all women vote another way and all blacks vote together a different way. A democracy is never that simple."

Sorry. Never said that. Just saw the stats this morning and the lack of diversity was quite striking, at least to me.

Six of nine is enough, don't you think? I'd like to see an atheist on the SC but we know that ain't gonna happen, at least in my lifetime.

Ted Kennedy's Catholicism did not concern me. Joe Biden's Catholicism does not concern me. Nancy Pelosi's Catholicism does not concern me. I don't care how many Catholics are on the court, if a nominee seems to be a good and fair jurist I don't care if they also happen to be a Catholic.

There is a lack of diversity in all aspects of government; I was simply focusing on the SC for this thread.

in that Senators are elected from their districts...SCOTUS is appointed..not much can be done about who runs for and wins elections..

African Americans constitute 12% of the population, so how is 1 out of 9 not representative?

Only 1/3 are women but that's still better than it's ever been. after all, it's a generation ago, there were no women on the court.

Hispanics are about 13% of the population so that there's only one Hispanic is again not out of line with national demographics.

religion? shouldn't be an issue.

the problem is simply the right wing justices.

You can't seriously be saying you think that what state a person is from should play any role in appointments? Or that their religion should be considered?

Having 8 of 9 Justices from only 3 states? Do you really think that's representative?

And yes, I'd really love to believe that one's religious beliefs have nothing to do with the opinions handed down by the SC but Scalia and Thomas don't really shore up my faith in an impartial system. But I'd have the same skepticism if 6 of the 9 were Freewill Baptists, for instance, and let their religious beliefs creep into their judicial lives.

Americans on the basis of their religious superstitions, in public and in official and academic settings? As long as members of that court preach their religious objections to other humans having rights religion matters very much. Under no circumstances will I or others accept that 'shouldn't matter' means the justices get to harass us using religion but we are not allowed to criticize the very tools of their prejudice and the modalities that carry their festering bigotry.

1 out of 9: 11%
2 out of 9: 22%
African American population in the USA: 13%

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/11000.html