The Full Read · Article by Article
Joshua Michael Divine
Eastern District of Missouri · 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
Sworn in July 2025 with no bench-era ethics record; pre-confirmation opposition concerned prior advocacy positions, not conduct lapses.
2Fidelity to Democracycritical
73%★ earned
“…a government of laws, and not of men.” — Marshall, Marbury v. Madison
No documented defiance of higher courts or election-subversion involvement; too new to the bench to assess further.
3Judicial Temperament
71%★ earned
“Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” — Frankfurter
No documented incidents of judicial incivility; brand-new to the district bench with essentially no record.
4Reason, Not Ideology
71%★ earned
“We are not final because we are infallible…” — Robert H. Jackson
Former Missouri Solicitor General; no documented bench rulings yet to evaluate reasoning independent of prior advocacy.
5Intellectual Honesty & Precedent
71%★ earned
“…to stand by things decided.” (stare decisis) — the common-law maxim
No documented instances of misstating precedent as a judge; record effectively nonexistent.
6Independence from Party
68%★ earned
“The complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential.” — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78
Strongly partisan advocacy background as state Solicitor General is documented; no bench record yet to show independence either way.
7Personal Integrity
74%★ earned
“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
No documented corruption, criminal, or personal-scandal matters; confirmation opposition was ideological, not integrity-based.
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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 →