Posner is so famous and respected and such a polymath that his absence from the Supreme Court is conspicuous. Does anyone know why he's never been nominated?
My understanding is that back in the 80s & 90s when he was being considered for the Supreme Court he was repeatedly blocked by Joe Biden then chair or ranking minority member on the Judiciary Committee. Not sure of the exact issue that drove this.
I remember a curious remark Biden made in an interview (probably during the 2008 campaign, but I forget). The interviewer asked him what he had learned from his years on the Judiciary Committee. Biden answered that he'd learned that ideology matters, and went on to explain that during his early years he thought it most important to pick the most generally qualified candidate and trust them, but later had realized that was wrong: you needed to pick someone who would reliably vote your way. I've long forgotten everything else about the interview, but that remark stuck in my head. If true, it would explain why he would block Posner.