Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps [group of people]. . . . and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. —Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Charles Jarvis, Sept. 28, 1820 Question This excerpt comes from a letter Jefferson wrote in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on Marbury v. Madison. What was Jefferson’s greatest concern?
1 answer
Jefferson's greatest concern, as expressed in the excerpt, was the potentially dangerous power of the judges, who are appointed for life and not accountable to the electoral process like other government officials.