The Full Read · Article by Article
Joshua Dale Dunlap
First Circuit · appt. Trump
7/7
🥇 Fit for the Bench
1Ethics & Recusalcritical
71%★ earned
“No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause.” — Madison, Federalist No. 10
No documented disclosure lapse or recusal issue; newly confirmed (Nov. 2025) with essentially no bench record yet.
2Fidelity to Democracycritical
73%★ earned
“…a government of laws, and not of men.” — Marshall, Marbury v. Madison
No appellate record to assess; nothing documenting defiance of precedent or the constitutional order.
3Judicial Temperament
71%★ earned
“Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” — Frankfurter
Longtime Pierce Atwood appellate litigator with no documented complaints of incivility; limited public record.
4Reason, Not Ideology
71%★ earned
“We are not final because we are infallible…” — Robert H. Jackson
No judicial record yet; advocacy career shows no documented pattern of grievance-driven rhetoric.
5Intellectual Honesty & Precedent
71%★ earned
“…to stand by things decided.” (stare decisis) — the common-law maxim
Confirmed too recently to assess consistency with testimony; no documented candor concerns.
6Independence from Party
67%★ earned
“The complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential.” — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78
Just seated as the court's only Republican appointee; no record to document crossings, neutral-minus score.
7Personal Integrity
74%★ earned
“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
No documented criminal, civil, or character matters; respected Maine appellate lawyer without citable scandal.
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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 →