During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on civics education, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) noted that attacks on judges could be a "threat to judicial independence."
"I am concerned about some of the rhetoric about the chief justice," Leahy told O'Connor. "He's been called everything from a traitor to having betrayed President George W. Bush."
"It's unfortunate," O'Connor agreed. "Because I think comments like that demonstrate only too well a lack of understanding that some of our citizens have about the role of the judicial branch."
"I think the framers of our federal Constitution did a great job in understanding themselves that the judicial branch needed to be able to make independent decisions and the legitimacy - the lawfulness - of actions at the state and federal lever," she added.
Watch this video from the C-SPAN, broadcast July 25, 2012.
Justice O'Connor is advocating for reforms in the States' respective judiciaries, apart from speaking to the point regarding a "lack of understanding... citizens have about... the judicial branch" of government. Consider that if the election process of such states is corrupt or corruptible, then the model she is advocating - i.e. selection, vetting and approval of judicial members of government by elected legislative or executive officials - would further undermine popular sovereignty.