The Full Read · Article by Article
Allison Dale Burroughs
District of Massachusetts · appt. Obama
7/7
🥇 Fit for the Bench
1Ethics & Recusalcritical
72%★ earned
“No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause.” — Madison, Federalist No. 10
No documented disclosure, gift, conflict, or recusal violations; high-profile Harvard cases concerned rulings, not ethics conduct.
2Fidelity to Democracycritical
74%★ earned
“…a government of laws, and not of men.” — Marshall, Marbury v. Madison
No documented defiance of higher courts; applied and was reviewed under appellate and Supreme Court authority in the Harvard litigation.
3Judicial Temperament
72%★ earned
“Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” — Frankfurter
No documented sustained complaints of incivility toward litigants, lawyers, or colleagues in the public record.
4Reason, Not Ideology
72%★ earned
“We are not final because we are infallible…” — Robert H. Jackson
No documented finding of ideology over reasoned analysis; her lengthy Harvard opinions were fact-intensive, though later revisited on appeal.
5Intellectual Honesty & Precedent
72%★ earned
“…to stand by things decided.” (stare decisis) — the common-law maxim
No documented instances of misstating precedent or the record; her rulings were subject to normal appellate review.
6Independence from Party
70%★ earned
“The complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential.” — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78
No documented evidence of party-driven decisions; an Obama appointee with no partisanship signals beyond contested high-profile rulings.
7Personal Integrity
75%★ earned
“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
No documented corruption, criminal matters, or credible personal scandals in the public record.
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Scores are Independent 2026’s own editorial read against the Seven Articles — ≥60% earns the star. The first two Articles are critical: fail Ethics & Recusal or Fidelity to Democracy and there is no seal, whatever else holds. Each Article carries its founding quote as the yardstick. On bias →