The Full Read · Article by Article
James Andrew Wynn Jr.
Fourth Circuit · 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, or recusal violations across his Fourth Circuit tenure and prior state and Navy JAG service.
2Fidelity to Democracycritical
72%★ earned
“…a government of laws, and not of men.” — Marshall, Marbury v. Madison
No documented defiance of higher courts or election-related misconduct; the senior-status dispute was legal, not a rule-of-law breach.
3Judicial Temperament
72%★ earned
“Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” — Frankfurter
No documented reprimands or incivility findings; decorated Navy JAG captain and longtime state appellate judge.
4Reason, Not Ideology
71%★ earned
“We are not final because we are infallible…” — Robert H. Jackson
No documented grievance-driven or result-oriented rhetoric on the record; conventional appellate opinion-writing.
5Intellectual Honesty & Precedent
70%★ earned
“…to stand by things decided.” (stare decisis) — the common-law maxim
No documented inconsistency with confirmation testimony; the retirement reversal concerned timing, not candor.
6Independence from Party
60%★ earned
“The complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential.” — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78
In December 2024 he rescinded senior status after his successor was blocked; Senators Tillis and McConnell called it 'brazenly partisan.'
7Personal Integrity
73%★ earned
“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
No documented criminal, civil, or corruption matters; the senior-status controversy raised partisanship claims, not personal-integrity findings.
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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 →