Nixon: Rehnquist (later appointed Chief Justice by Reagan) — Belongs in the second tier, all by himself. His instincts are statist rather than libertarian, but he tries to adhere to the original meaning of the Constitution.
Ford: Stevens — What do you expect from Ford? A Republican in name only who interprets the Constitution the way a blind umpire interprets the strike zone.
Carter: He made no appointments, luckily for the nation.
Reagan: O’Connor, Scalia, Kennedy — O’Connor and Kennedy make up the third tier; they vacillate between libertarianism and statism. Scalia’s originalism usually overcomes his instinctive statism; he’s in the top tier with Thomas.
Bush I: Souter, Thomas — Typically conflicted Bush I appointments; from another John Paul Stevens to the best appointment since the 1920s.
Clinton: Ginsburg, Breyer — Clinton failed to nationalize health care, but stuck us with these two crypto-socialists.
Politics and Prosperity 