"Traditions -- especially traditions in the law -- are as likely to codify the preferences of those in power as they are to reflect necessity or proven wisdom." -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (b. 1920-04-20), private memo to Justice Blackmun, 1992, quoted in "The End of an Era, for Court and Nation" by Adam Liptak, The New York Times, 2010-04-09