Trump attack on judge hardly unprecedented. FDR, LBJ and Obama did the same.

By Salena Zito

Published February 12, 2017 6:00am ET

Add Washington Examiner on Google

Trump attack on judge hardly unprecedented. FDR, LBJ and Obama did the same. — Lyndon B. Johnson placed a longtime political associate, Abe Fortas, on the court in part so that Fortas could alert him if his Great Society programs faced legal jeopardy and to keep the court from overturning them. He persuaded a sitting justice, Arthur Goldberg, to step down and become UN ambassador in order to open a seat for Fortas, who eventually was forced to resign in disgrace. (AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky) | Ed Kolenovsky

HARRISBURG, Pa. — It’s tough to digest the outrage from reporters or politicians who claim something “never happened before in our history” when such statements lack any hint of historical perspective, any intellectual curiosity to discover if something truly is unprecedented.

It has become a common problem, this reacting in the arrogance of the moment rather than trying to understand how our system has worked for more than 200 years.

Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.

Full midterm coverage.Deeper analysis.

Get unlimited access to Washington Examiner's reporting, expert analysis, and coverage of the midterm elections.

Get Unlimited Access

Cancel anytime.

Tag:

Barack Obama Contributors Donald Trump Law Minusextra Presidents Salena Zito