Federal Judge Thinks Obama Should Have Bypassed Congress on Debt Ceiling

During the entire debt debate, it was not unusual to hear liberals suggest that President Obama simply go over Congress' head and raise the debt ceiling unilaterally. It is one thing for the left to endorse such an unconstitutional push, however, it is wholly another when an federal judge does it.

But shockingly, that seems to be what Judge Richard Allen Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit did during an interview with Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia about the legal implications of the recent S&P downgrade. What is even more shocking, however, is that the Reagan-appointed judge, apparently known for making controversial statements, is allegedly conservative-leaning.

So who exactly is Judge Posner, and what would posses a federal judge to suggest Obama bypass Congress unilaterally?

Posner is a Senior Lecturer at University of Chicago Law School, is a prolific writer, and some assert him to be one of the most influential thinkers regarding law and economics.

In an article for the left-wing site Slate, even Eliot Spitzer wrote of Posner:

Richard Posner, esteemed federal judge of the 7^th Circuit, is one of the most respected and prolific conservative intellectuals. As a founder of the "Chicago School," he is both a creator and defender of the free-market theory that has guided deregulation for the past 30 years.

During his Bloomberg interview, Posner asserted that, in a show of strength, the president should have just raised the debt ceiling, even though a lawsuit would have soon followed. As if to say, "big deal."

Judge Posner's eyebrow-raising comments on Bloomberg come at around the 5:00 minute mark: